THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


"HsSL  ft 


UNDER  BLUE  SKIES 


AND  OTHER  STORIES 


BY 


AGNES  HOUGHTON   BANFIELD 


PHILADELPHIA; 

PRINTED  FOR  THE  AUTHOR  BY 

INTERNATIONAL  PRINTING  CO., 

301  Chestnut  Street. 


COPYRIGHT,  1900, 

BY 
AGNES  HOUGHTON  BANFIBLD. 


PS 

35-03 


Under  Blue  Skies  .        .        .        .  . 

Jason  and  Matilda 

Moonlight        ...  211 


16943G9 


Co  mg  beloveo  flfcotber, 

"JBebe," 

Oo  1  bumbls  OcOicatc  tbte  volume. 

Sbc  wbo  was  m^  inspiration  in  life  anO  ie  now 

in  Spirit. 


TO  THE  PUBLIC. 

MOST  people  believe  they  have  a  right  to  existence, 
because  they  have  a  certain  mission  in  the  world 
— a  particular  work  to  do.  This  is  true.  Some  solve 
life's  problem  in  the  kitchen,  or  on  the  street ;  others  in 
the  hovel,  or  in  the  mansion  ;  and  some  upon  the  sea. 
Everywhere  human  beings  toil  for  the  right  to  live,  and 
like  the  stars  they  move  in  certain  order,  and  keep  to 
one  particular  line  of  duty,  and  thus  become  fixed  cogs 
in  the  great  wheel  of  life. 

Not  so  with  the  author  of  this  book.  It  is  with 
much  hesitancy  that  I  undertake  a  sketch  of  her  life 
and  work,  for  her  personality  is  so  marked,  her  gifts  so 
many  and  varied,  her  labors  range  over  such  wide  fields, 
that  it  is  difficult  to  follow  her  career,  or  to  portray  the 
character  of  one  who  has  been  lecturer,  reader,  and 
teacher,  and,  to  crown  all,  possesses  the  spiritual  gifts 
of  clairvoyancy  and  healing  that  St.  Paul  speaks  of  in 
I.  Corinthians.  Unlike  the  proverbial  "Jack  of  all 
trades,  but  master  of  none,"  she  has  been  mistress  in 
every  capacity  in  which  she  has  served. 

Agnes  Houghton  Banfield  was  born  in  Vermont 
Do  you  ask  when  ?  Well,  the  birds  of  the  Green 
Mountain  State  will  tell  you,  for  they  surely  sang  about 
her  cradle,  and  in  the  twilight  hours  hushed  her  to  sleep 
with  lullabies  of  perfect  melody — melody  that  sank  into 
her  heart  and  reproduced  itself  in  her  voice,  for  never 
was  heard  a  voice  of  greater  natural  beauty,  or  more 
musical  intonation  than  hers.  From  both  parents  she 


6  TO  THE  PUBLIC. 

inherited  her  wonderful  gifts — from  her  father's  side  her 
beautiful  voice,  and  from  her  mother's  her  literary 
genius. 

She  was  a  peculiar  child,  showing,  from  infancy  up, 
the  rare  complexity  of  her  nature.  Emotional  and 
sensitive,  and  possessed  of  this  wonderful  spiritual 
insight  into  human  nature,  she  intuitively  recognized, 
before  her  baby  lips  knew  how  to  express  it,  that  the 
hopes  and  fears  that  throbbed  in  her  heart  beat  alike  in 
the  breasts  of  all  people.  This  brought  her  into  strange 
sympathy  with  others  and  prompted  her  to  share  their 
joys  and  sorrows,  to  give  her  new  frock  to  the  less  for 
tunate  playmate  who  admired  it,  taking  cheerfully  the 
old  one  in  exchange.  Thus  guided  by  the  spirit,  this 
uncommon  nature  did  uncommon  things,  making  her, 
from  a  religious  point  of  view,  purely  humanitarian. 

This  child  of  the  hills  commenced  her  public  work 
when  she  taught  school  at  the  age  of  fifteen,  and  before 
she  had  reached  the  age  of  twenty-five  both  Maine  and 
and  Massachusetts  had  recognized  her  ability  as  an 
orator,  and  had  invited  her  to  give  Memorial  Day 
addresses  for  the  G.  A.  R.'s,  being  one  of  the  first 
women  in  New  England  to  deliver  an  address  to  the 
soldiers  on  Memorial  Day.  Her  first  appearance  as  a 
lecturer  was  in  the  India  Street  course  of  lectures  inau 
gurated  in  Portland,  Maine.  The  speakers  in  that  course 
were  such  men  as  General  Hall,  Ex-Governor  Washburn, 
Governor  Perham,  D.  H.  Ingram,  and  others. 

Round  after  round  of  applause  always  greeted  her 
public  efforts  ;  and,  encouraged  by  the  public's  approval, 
and  feeling  she  needed  a  more  extensive  training  for  her 


TO  THE  PUBLIC.  ^ 

work,  she  commenced  the  study  of  oratory  with  Pro 
fessor  Baxter  and  Wyzeman  Marshall,  the  noted  actor  ; 
afterwards,  entering  the  Boston  School  of  Oratory  under 
Professor  Munroe.  Taking  his  advice,  she  entered  the  field 
as  a  reader,  and  won  enviable  fame  as  one  of  the  best 
dramatic  readers  of  the  day.  She  was  known  as  the 
"princess  of  elocution."  Her  lectures  were  just  as  phe 
nomenal,  and  "  Gathering  Storms  "  on  labor  and  capi 
tal  was  pronounced  by  Prof.  Edward  Everett,  of  Har 
vard,  to  be  just  fifty  years  in  advance  of  the  times. 
"  Turning  of  the  Tide  "  touched  the  popular  heart  and 
accorded  her  unsolicited  honor  and  praise. 

She  is  a  woman  whom  women  always  have,  and 
always  will,  love — no  higher  praise  could  be  given  her. 

In  personal  appearance  she  is  charming — of  good 
height  and  splendidly  proportioned,  a  strong  face,  a 
wealth  of  dark  hair,  and  great,  glorious,  brown  eyes  ; 
sad,  too,  they  are — with  that  peculiar  pathos  in  their 
depths  that  tells  you  that  they  are  windows  to  a  soul 
that  sees  all  the  darkness  of  this  world  and  all  the  light 
of  the  other  world.  She  has  been  called  "  the  child  of 
inspiration."  Truly  it  is  a  sobriqunet  that  fits  her  best; 
and  like  all  specially  gifted  people  she  has  a  restless 
ness  of  genius,  which  is  never  content  with  the  old,  but 
ever  reaches  out  to  grasp  the  new. 

When  her  little  mother,  "  Be  be  "  as  she  called  her, 
passed  out  from  earth  life,  it  seemed  to  awaken  in  the 
soul  of  this  wonderful  woman  a  desire  to  study  into  the 
occult,  for  her  mother  in  the  past  had  been  a  living 
incentive  to  her  in  her  higher  efforts  in  life. 

Being  married  to  a  man   with  whom  she  is  in  perfect 


8  TO  THE  PUBLIC. 

accord,  and  he  having  great  sympathy  with  her  life- 
work,  he  induced  her  to  use  her  spiritual  gifts  to  write 
these  stories.  With  characteristic  modesty  she  lays  no 
claims  to  great  merit  as  a  novelist,  and  these  stories  have 
not  been  written  for  the  scholar  or  critic,  but  for  the 
masses,  for  the  men  and  women  who,  in  the  hardships 
and  burdens  of  their  material  lives,  almost  lose  sight  of 
the  spiritual,  and  the  immortality  of  the  soul.  It  is  to 
this  class  that  Agnes  Banfield  desires  to  speak  through 
her  stories,  telling  them  of  the  nearness  of  the  life  of 
the  spirit.  These  stories  are  full  of  inspiring  thoughts 
and  fine  ideas  ;  the  characters  are  strongly  drawn  and 
true  to  nature. 

I  predict  for  the  book  the  great  success  which  always 
attends  all  of  Agnes  Houghton  Banfield's  public   efforts. 

AGNES  SOUTHARD, 
Oct.  6,  1899.  Kalamazoo,  Mich. 


UNDER  BLUE  SKIES. 

MANY  people  who  have  studied  nature  carefully, 
claim  that  the  planetary  system  has  much  to  do 
with  the  destiny  of  mankind.  Their  advice  has  been, 
not  to  struggle  against  the  tide  of  events,  for  if  it  is  once 
set  against  them  you  cannot  stop  its  course,  any  more 
than  you  can  dip  dry  with  a  basin,  the  Atlantic  ocean. 
Astronomers  have  watched  the  starry  heavens,  and  have 
made  their  calculations  about  the  weather;  and  they 
have  told  that  the  elements  have  a  decided  influence 
upon  the  destiny  of  man.  So  there  is  an  indirect,  if  not 
a  direct,  influence  from  the  planetary  worlds  above,  and 
the  material  world  beneath,  on  the  events  of  our  lives. 
You  could  not  picture  a  fairer  day,  a  bluer  sky,  than 
beamed  upon  five  of  the  characters  of  this  story,  who 
are  summering  at  one  of  the  fashionable  seashore  resorts. 

Blue  Bay  has  attracted  the  attention  of  many  lovers  of 
nature,  but  writers  have  failed  to  picture  its  charms  ;  it 
is  not  the  long  sweep  of  the  ocean — now  seen,  now 
lost — nor  is  it  the  background  of  purple  hills  ;  but  it  is 
one  of  those  bits  of  natural  scenery  that  cannot  be  caught 
or  held  in  the  mind  by  a  casual  observer.  If  this  Bay 
had  the  fame  of  the  one  at  Naples  it  would  rival  it  in 
picturesque  beauty  and  charm. 

"Yes,  sir;  a  man  fe-ls  batter  after  a  good  dinner,  and 
under  a  sky  as  blue  as  this,"  said  ex-Senator  Burleigh, 
as  he  leaned  back  in  his  chair  and  passed  a  cigar  to  his 
friend,  a  tall,  pale  gentleman  sitting  opposite,  whose 
dreamy  eyes  were  looking  far  out  to  sea,  and,  at  the 


iz  UNDER  BLUE  SKIES. 

of  human  beings,  who  are  animals,  only  inferior  to  these 
horses." 

"Ha,  ha!"  laughed  Senator  Burleigh.  "Horses 
immortal !  Well,  that  is  an  idea  more  ridiculous  than  I 
have  heard  from  Newell  to-day.  Why,  did  you  know, 
my  boy,  we  are  not  sure  of  immortality  ourselves,  much 
less  horses  !  Not  a  word  of  proof  have  we  ;  only  some 
old  dusty  manuscripts,  full  of  contradictions,  that  we 
call  revelations — and  that  is  all.  We  simply  move  out 
of  existence  to  give  others' a  chance  to  take  our  places. 
The  soul  that  people  preach  about  and  rant  over,  is  not 
to  be  found  or  produced  when  you  want  it;  why? 
Because  it  is  dependant  upon  matter  for  its  expression. 
When  you  knock  this  foundation  out,  where  is  this 
wonderful  spirit?  It  is  simply  returned  to  the  ocean  of 
spirituality,  from  whence  it  come.  Bah  !  boy ;  don't 
get  notions  into  your  head,  for  a  little  sense  and  logic 
will  settle  all  such  fancies."  And  the  Senator  was  about 
turning  on  his  heel  to  go  back  to  his  easy  chair  for  his 
afternoon  nap,  when  the  hand  of  Leland  Newell  fell 
lightly  on  his  shoulder.  What  a  difference  there  is  in 
the  touch  of  a  human  hand  !  Some  hands  seem  light, 
and  others  heavy  ;  some  velvet  and  others  steel ;  some 
cling,  while  others  appeal  and  command,  according  to 
the  action  of  the  brain.  Leland  Newell  had  a  hand,  no 
matter  how  lightly  it  might  fall  upon  one's  shoulder,  it 
seemed  to  fall  there  to  stay,  and  communicated  to  the 
individual  the  power  of  the  person  back  of  it. 

"  Not  so  fast,  my  materialistic  friend !  You  know 
there  are  always  two  sides  to  a  question,  and  I  wish  you 
to  meet  the  one  before  I  abandon  the  other.  Who  first 
projected  matter  into  existence?" 


UNDER  BLUE  SKIES.  13 

"Why,  of  course,"  said  the  Senator,  "an  intelligent 
force."  ' 

"Can  you  conceive,  Jack,  of  an  intelligent  force  act 
ing  without  any  motive,  simply  creating  worlds  to 
destroy  them,  and  without  any  definite  object  in  view?" 

"  Oh,  well,  Leland,  if  you  expect  me  to  go  back  of 
what  I  cannot  see,  feel,  touch,  taste  or  hear,  you  have 
got  me.  I  know  you  will  say  I  evade  the  question,  but 
I  am  not  going  to  stop  to  discuss  it  now.  While  I  do 
not  believe  that  men  or  animals  have  souls,  I  know  they 
have  stomachs,  and  I  will  look  after  George's  and  the 
span  of  bays'  material  wants  while  you  dream  over  the 
spiritual,  and  later  on  I  will  smoke  a  good  cigar  with 
you,  and  we  will  wade  into  those  deep  waters  of  trying 

to  discuss  knowingly  the  great  unknowable." 

*  * 
* 

Two  beautiful  young  ladies  were  leaning  over  the 
balustrade  of  the  hotel  piazza,  as  George  Burleigh  drove 
up  with  his  splendid  turnout.  As  unlike  as  daylight 
and  darkness  were  Marian  Stanton  and  Grace  Rowland. 
If  it  could  have  been  possible  that  here  in  cold  New 
England  a  child  of  American  parents  could  be  found 
bearing  in  outward  form  the  beauty  of  the  Orient,  one 
would  have  said  that  Marian  was  transported  from  the 
warm  and  passionate  East  to  our  cold  New  England 
shores.  Eyes  like  midnight,  but  so  velvety  and  mourn 
ful  in  expression  that  one  could  only  think  of  those 
dark  leaves  of  the  pansy,  which  are  said  to  go  into 
mourning  for  the  death  of  its  fairer  sisters.  Her  hair 
was  long  and  heavy ;  her  braids  took  the  tinge  of 
the  purple  on  the  grape,  and  her  companions  used  to 


14  UNDER  BLUE  SKIES. 

say  that  "  her  hair  was  so  black  it  was  blue."  Her 
complexion  was  like  a  peach,  which  deepened  and  deep 
ened  like  the  heart  of  a  rose,  but  did  not  stop  on  cheek 
alone,  but  tinted  the  lips,  ears  and  drooping  lids  of  her 
eyes,  which  gave  her  face  the  appearance  of  a  red  flame, 
which  would  spring  up  and  die  out  according  to  the 
emotions  of  her  heart.  A  sculptor  might  envy  her  fea 
tures,  so  classic  were  they,  and  wonder  if  the  marble 
could  ever  reproduce  them  ;  form  tall,  and  full  of  that 
infinite  grace  which  always  comes  from  intense  feel 
ing. 

Marian  Stanton  at  the  time  of  our  story  is  intellectu 
ally  asleep.  She  was  too  passive,  and  some  said  too 
indolent,  to  made  any  impression  upon  humanity,  only 
one  of  admiration  for  her  beauty.  Not  so  with  her 
bosom  friend  and  classmate,  Grace  Rowland.  She  was 
not  only  in  looks  an  angel,  but  her  vivacity  was  so  won 
derful  that  all  looked  to  her  for  life,  merriment  and 
change,  and  she  made  one  forget  that  there  was  such  a 
change  as  death.  Her  bright  blue  eyes  sparkled  like 
diamonds  of  the  first  water;  her  golden  curls  tossed  in 
the  wind  as  if  they  were  made  for  its  sport,  and  her 
cherry  lips  were  formed  to  be  kissed  only  by  the  gods. 
Dame  nature  had  searched  the  universe  for  its  most 
delicate  mould  to  give  expression  in  feature  and  form  to 
this  light  and  airy  spirit ;  it  was  a  bewitching  charm, 
rarely  seen  in  woman,  and,  with  all  that  nature  had  done 
for  her,  the  power  she  exercised  over  humanity  was 
magnetic  over  women,  and  appealed  only  to  the  passions 
of  men. 

Marian's  father  when   he  died   had  left  her  and  her 


UNDER  BUUE  SKIES.  15 

mother  an  independent  fortune,  while  Grace's  mother 
was  on  the  other  side  of  life,  and  her  father  was  a  man 
of  moderate  means,  a  clergyman  of  the  broad  Unitarian 
type,  and  lived  quietly  in  the  country. 

These  two  young  girls  were  attracted  to  each  other 
by  the  great  law  of  opposites.  Not  only  were  they  so 
in  temperament,  but  in  wealth  and  station.  Some  were 
so  unkind  as  to  say  they  always  walked,  rode  and  talked 
together,  as  the  appearance  of  the  one  heightened  the 
effect  of  the  other ;  but  people  of  the  world  are  always 
saying  unkind  things,  for  they  breakfast  on  envy,  dine 
on  jealousy  and  sup  on  revenge.  These  two  girls  had 
a  deep  and  sincere  attachment  for  each  other  that  bound 
them  together  like  sisters. 

"Oh,  Marian,"  said  Grace,  "  do  look  at  that  hand 
some  turnout,  and  the  gentleman  holding  the  ribbons  ; 
he  is  just  lovely!  " 

Marian  turned  slowly  and  easily  around,  and  for  a 
moment  her  large,  deep  black  eyes  were  fastened  upon 
the  handsome  face  of  George  Burleigh.  How  is  it  that 
some  can  seem  to  see  their  own  fate  and  that  of  another 
at  their  very  first  meeting,  especially  if  their  eyes  chance 
to  meet?  Does  the  inner  consciousness  called  the  soul 
or  spirit  telegraph  its  future  history  to  others  on  a  sim 
ilar  plane  of  life — who  can  tell  ?  Marian  Stanton  turned 
away  with  a  look  of  anguish  on  her  face,  for  she  read  her 
own  history  for  years  to  come. 

Grace  did  not  mind  the  abstraction  of  her  friend,  but 
flew  about  trying,  if  possible,  to  catch  the  words  of  the 
group  beneath  the  piazza,  to  learn  who  they  were. 

"  Oh,  are  not  those  horses  fine,  and  the  young  man  so 


16  UNDER  BLUE  SKIES. 

nice  ?  Marian,  Marian  !  are  you  asleep  ?  How  can  you 
be  so  indifferent  to  manly  beauty  ?  Wake  up  !  " 

"  I  see,  Grace  dear,  more  than  you  imagine;  but 
when  you  call  men  '  lovely  '  and  '  beautiful,'  you  do  not 
use  proper  terms  to  express  your  ideas." 

"  I  don't  care  what  terms  of  speech  I  use ;  you  don't 
see  a  handsome  team  and  driver  like  that  every  day." 

"Don't  you  think,  Grace,  that  you  are  too  much 
carried  away  by  external  show  ?" 

"  Yes,  I  will  acknowledge  that  a  man  looks  better 
driving  a  turnout  like  the  one  below,  appearing  on  the 
scene  with  a  sky  like  sapphire  and  a  bay  to  match,  than 
if  he  arrived  on  a  rainy  morning  in  shabby  clothes  and 
in  an  old-fashioned  go-cart.  I  am  controlled,  Mai  ian, 
by  my  surroundings.  You  make  them  all  right,  and  7 
am  all  right.  I  can't  conceive  of  any  greater  happiness 
than  marrying  a  man  young,  rich  and  handsome,  and 
flitting  from  flower  to  flower,  just  like  a  butterfly,  in  a 
perfect  whirl.  Now,  can  you  ?  Where  can  unhappiness 
step  in,  when  you  don't  have  poverty  to  contend  with, 
or  your  actions  to  cover  up  with  the  mantle  of  deceit, 
as  you  would  have  to  if  you  married  an  old  man  ?  " 

There  was  a  long  silence,  and  when  Marian  did  speak 
it  seemed  as  if  she  was  inspired,  so  solemn  and  low  were 
her  tones  and  so  strong  her  convictions. 

"Where  can  unhappiness  step  in,  do  you  say?  I 
will  tell  you.  When  you  have  drank  off  the  foam  of  hap 
piness  and  found  the  dregs  bitter  to  the  taste  ;  when  you 
have  torn  to  pieces  the  rose  of  passion  and  found  that 
the  leaves  concealed  a  thorn  ;  when  you  have  sought  in 
vain  for  the  pearl  of  content  and  found  it  not ;  and  the 


UNDER  BLUE  SKIES.  17 

years  glide  by  and  you  have  supped  at  the  feast  of  good 
things  until  your  entire  nature  is  surfeited,  and  find  at 
last  that  in  your  home  there  is  nowhere  to  be  found 
that  love  that  makes  that  home  endurable  ;  no  hell  can 
be  deeper  than  the  lives  of  two  thus  united  ;  no  remorse 
so  acrid  that  eats  into  the  hearts  of  men  while  they  live 
on  daily,  weekly,  yearly,  and  while  they  have  all  else 
that  material  life  can  give  they  have  the  knowledge 
that  the  source  of  all  real  life  is  missing,  and  that  is 
love.  I  would  no  more  marry  without  it  than  I  would 
think  of  walking  yonder  bay  and  expect  for  a  moment 
that  I  should  reach  the  opposite  shore." 

"  Oh,  stop,  stop,  Marian,  you  make  me  quite  weary  !  I 
haven't  heard  a  sermon  since  the  one  papa  preached  on 
'  God  is  Love  '  some  time  ago,  and  it  gave  me  a  sick 
headache.  What  has  come  over  you  to  preach  like  that, 
Marian  ?  And  why  do  all  you  dreamers  take  it  for 
granted  that  one  can  never  love  a  man  who  is  rich  ?  I 
just  mentioned  that  I  admired  the  young  man  and 
turnout  below,  and  I  should  think  you  had  made  up 
your  mind  already  that  I  would  marry  him  and  have  a 
wretched  life  '  with  no  one  to  love,  none  to  caress.' ' 
And  Grace,  singing  this  old  song,  danced  ofTto  the  large 
parlors  where  a  host  of  admiring  friends  awaited  her. 

Marian  watched  the  retreating  figure,  then  once  more 
bent  over  the  rail  of  the  piazza  and  caught  the  deep, 
resonant  voice  of  the  young  man  beneath.  She  had  had 
in  childhood  a  habit  of  gazing  at  some  fixed  object  in 
order  that  the  fairies  might  bring  her  pictures  to  look 
at,  as  she  used  to  call  it,  but  that  was  years  ago.  To-day, 
she  was  once  more  in  fairyland,  for  picture  after  picture 


18  UNDER  BLUE  SKIES. 

rolled  in  panoramic  view  before  her — sad  pictures — 
brightened  only  by  events  that  future  years  would  con 
summate.  "  I  see  it  all,"  she  murmured.  "  There  is 
no  power  to  change  this  drama ;  Grace  Rowland  and 
this  young  man  will  link  their  destinies  together,  for 
weal  or  for  woe.  I  believe  surely  the  latter;  and  for 
me,"  and  she  pressed  her  hand  against  her  heart,  "  and  for 
me,  I  must  bow — as  I  am  told  by  some  power  out 
side  myself — to  the  great  law  of  the  inevitable  and  wait 

until  human  lives  are  controlled  more  by  laws  divine! 

*  * 
* 

"  Sam  !  Samuel !  "  called  out  a  sharp  voice  from  the 
spacious  hall  of  Burleigh  Place  one  chilly  evening  in 
October,  but  as  no  one  responded  Jerusha  Bigelow 
stepped  out  into  the  strong  light  of  the  hall  to  enable  us 
to  describe  her.  Occasionally,  the  world  produces  for 
us  an  original  character,  and  surely  this  maiden  lady 
was  a  representative  of  this  type.  She  used  to  say  that 
she  was  so  tall  that  male  or  female  had  to  look  up  to 
her  whether  they  wanted  to  or  not.  Her  iron-gray  hair 
was  parted  in  the  middle,  brought  up  high  on  the  top 
of  her  head,  tied  with  a  shoe  string  as  tight  as  she  could 
draw  it,  and  held  with  a  high  back  comb  that  her  grand 
mother  wore  ;  for  she  said  that  if  there  was  anything  she 
did  abominate  it  was  frizzing  the  hair  and  women  trying 
to  look  mannish.  This  New  England  old  maid  had  a 
hearty  contempt  for  the  opposite  sex,  who,  she  said,  were 
weak  and  shiftless,  and  she  could  never  imagine  what 
they  were  created  for,  and  she  was  glad  she  was  called 
homely,  as  it  kept  them  at  a  proper  distance ;  and  Jerusha 
would  pucker  up  her  mouth  and  turn  up  her  long  nose 


UNDER  BLUE  SKIES.  19 

and  walk  off  with  strides  a  military  officer  might  well 
admire.  Her  commonsense,  however,  was  known  for 
miles  around,  where  her  sharp  tongue  was  equally  feared. 
Jackson  Burleigh  knew  that  not  one  thing  would  go 
wrong  so  long  as  Jerusha  had  her  head  for  business  and 
her  eye  upon  the  inmates  of  Burleigh  Place. 

"  Samuel,  Samuel !  walk  in  here  with  that  wood, 
quick  ! "  And  a  tall,  sandy  complexioned  Yankee  shuf 
fled  along  with  a  broad  grin  on  his  face  as  if  he  delighted 
to  "  rasp  up  "  Aunt  Jerusha. 

"  How  slow  you  are.  This  world  never  would  have 
been  done  if  you  had  had  a  hand  in  making  it.  So 
strange  that  you  can  never  remember  that  I  burn  wood 
in  this  fireplace  ;  no  grate  put  in  for  me  with  the  nasty 
black  coai ;  plain,  old-fashioned  wood  is  good  enough 
for  me  ;  something  that  has  got  a  snap  to  it.  I  do  hate 
things  that  haven't  got  any  life.  Now,  Samuel  B. 
Knowles,  what  do  you  think  you  are  here  for,  and 
what  were  you  ever  made  for?" 

"  Wai,  Miss  Bigelow,  I  don't  know  what  I  was  made 
for,  'cause  I  didn't  have  a  hand  in  making  myself." 

Jerusha  looked  shocked,  and  said  :  "  Don't  you  talk 
to  me  about  the  Almighty's  ways,  for  He  made  you — 
and  a  poor  job  it  was.  But  I  can  tell  you  what  you  are 
here  for  :  it  is  to  do  the  chores  and  not  take  all  winter 
to  do  them  either,  or  sit  out  there  in  the  wood  shed 
whittling  up  the  wood.  No  !  What  the  Lord  ever  made 
your  legs  so  long  for  and  your  hair  so  red,  I  can't  see." 

"  I'm  glad  He  is  to  blame  for  it,  Miss  Bigelow,  and 
not  me." 

"  Stop  talking  about  the  Lord  !  As  if  He  hadn't  a  right 


20  UNDER  BLUE  SKIES. 

to  make  people  just  as  He's  a  mind  to ;  some  tall,  some 
short,  some  black,  some  white,  just  the  same  as  I  can 
make  all  kinds  of  doughnuts  ;  some  like  'em  with  sour 
milk  and  some  don't ;  but  I  do  want  to  know  one  thing, 
and  that  is  what  you  are  making  out  there  in  that  shed  ? 
I  'spose  you  call  it  an  '  invention  !  '  Just  like  Yankees  ; 
they  never  are  contented.  Now,  what  are  you  doing 
it  for?"  and  Aunt  Jerusha  emphasized  every  word 
with  her  long,  bony  finger  on  Sam's  arm  in  a  way  that 
made  him  shiver. 

"  Why,  to  make  things  go,  Miss  Bigelow." 

"Make  things  go?  I  'spose  to  save  work — want 
the  wood  to  chop  itself  and  walk  in  here,  don't  ye  ?" 

"  Yes,  marm." 

"  Oh,  lawdy,  lawdy  !  "  said  Aunt  Jerusha,  "  that  is  the 
way  with  these  poor  fools ;  racking  their  brains  to  make 
labor-saving  machines  and  not  having  sense  enough  to 
see  that  all  these  machines  will  do  the  work,  and  they 
will  have  to  go  out  into  the  streets  and  starve. 
Samuel  B.  Knowles,  listen  to  me.  You  just  burn  up 
every  one  of  those  wheels  and  cross-bars.  I  have  put 
my  glasses  on  and  seen  every  one  on  'em,  and  they  are 
no  earthly  use.  You  just  fall  back  on  your  own  head 
and  hands  and  earn  an  honest  living.  You  never  will 
get  any  good  from  it  in  your  life."  And  again  the  long 
finger  came  down,  almost  striking  Sam's  nose.  "  Do 
you  hear  ?" 

"Yes,  marm ;  but  Miss  Bigelow,  somebody  else  may 
get  somethin'  out  of  it." 

"Oh,  good  Lord  and  good  devil !  just  hear  him  talk 
ing  like  that ;  looking  ahead  for  the  benefit  of  people 


UNDER  BLUE  SKIES.  21 

who  are  unborn,  and  when  they  do  get  into  the  world 
they  won't  remember  his  name ! "  and  Aunt  Jerusha 
felt  like  shaking  this  tall  New  England  boy  for  his  lack 
of  foresight  and  practical  business  sense  which  would 
make  him  look  out  for  the  world,  but  not  for  himself. 

Sam  shuffled  out  with  a  broad  grin,  more  fully 
resolved  than  ever  to  keep  on  with  his  knives  and  saws. 
Jerusha's  advice  generally  had  an  opposite  effect  from 
what  she  intended,  and  stimulated  persons  to  still 
greater  endeavors.  She  turned  and  entered  the  sitting 
room,  where  the  fire  was  burning  brightly,  and  the  tea 
kettle  singing  merrily  ;  for  Jerusha  did  not  forget  to  look 
out  for  a  good  cup  of  tea  before  retiring,  and  in  a  room 
that  was  not  frequented  by  other  occupants  of  the  house. 
She  used  to  say  that  if  the  inner  man  needed  refreshing, 
she  did  not  see  why  the  inner  woman  didn't  also.  It 
would  seem,  to  look  at  this  prim,  old-fashioned  lady,  who 
looked  so  uncomfortable  herself,  that  she  could  never 
make  a  room  look  cheerful  and  homelike  ;  but  she  was 
not  only  a  born  housekeeper,  but  a  born  homemaker. 
There  are  people  who  can  "keep  house"  well,  yet  not 
give  it  an  air  of  comfort.  Aunt  Jerusha  said  that  ani 
mals  were  all  right  if  they  were  brought  up  neat  and 
their  place  ;  and  she  had  them  in  the  house  so  things 
would  look  more  sociable  ;  so  there  was  the  Maltese 
tabby  cat  in  the  chair,  and  the  large  St.  Bernard  dog  on 
his  rug.  Before  Jerusha  got  out  her  tea  set  for  her 
own  little  private  lunch,  she  took  a  letter  from  a 
long  bag  which  was  suspended  from  her  waist,  where 
nearly  everything  could  be  found  except  provisions  for 
the  family,  which  were  in  the  storehouse,  but  the  bag  held 


22  UNDER  BLUE  SKIES. 

the  key.  She  made  the  room  bright  for  the  occasion, 
as  she  wished  to  read  the  letter,  though  she  usually  pre 
ferred  to  sit  in  the  twilight  to  compose  her  mind  and 
plan  for  the  next  day,  as  she  expressed  it.  She  did  not 
understand  the  laws  that  govern  the  nervous  system, 
when,  without  a  brilliant  light,  the  vibrations  are  reduced 
one-half,  and  ideas  from  without  and  impressions  from 
within  are  more  clearly  defined,  but  she  did  this  intui 
tively.  It  was  fortunate  she  adopted  this  habit,  for  it 
would  have  been  a  question  if  the  people  could  have 
lived  with  her  the  next  day  if  she  had  not  taken  this 
rest,  so  thoroughly  alive  was  she  to  all  her  surround 
ings.  Taking  the  hardest  and  most  uncomfortable  chair 
she  could  find  in  the  room,  she  set  it  in  the  middle  of 
the  room,  looked  around  to  see  if  everything  was  all 
right,  adjusted  her  glasses,  smoothed  down  her  apron, 
and  sat  down  with  an  extra  pucker  to  her  mouth,  and 
began  to  read  aloud  in  a  slow,  monotonous  voice  : 
"  Miss  JERUSHA  BIGELOW  : 

"  Dear  Madam. — I  drop  you  a  line  that  you  may  have 
the  house  in  order,  and  plenty  to  eat,  as  I  shall  bring  a 
party  home  with  me  next  week.      I  have  a  little  surprise 
in  store  for  you  in  regard  to  changes  in  the  family. 
"Yours  truly, 

"  JACKSON  BURLEIGH." 

"I  do  declare,"  said  she,  "if  that  man  don't  make 
my  back  weak  and  stomach  faint.  What  in  the  world 
were  men  ever  created  for?  I  never  had  any  use  for 
them ;  I  see  no  good  they  have  ever  done  my  own 
female  sex— only  burden  them  with  the  cares  of  chil 
dren  and  the  sorrows  of  life.  Just  tell  me,  if  anybody  can, 


UNDER  BLUE  SKIES.  23 

why  Squire  Burleigh  could  not  write  out  plain  what  was 
in  his  mind,  and  not  beat  around  the  bush,  man  fashion  ?  " 

Jerusha  would  continue  to  call  him  "Squire"  and  not 
"  Senator,"  for  she  said  that  was  as  high  as  a  man  ought 
to  go  in  politics,  for  when  he  ceased  to  be  "  Squire," 
and  aspired  to  more  office  he  always  went  crooked. 
"Well,  he  did  not  forget  to  mention  vituals  and  drink. 
I  guess  not — catch  a  man  forgetting  that !  But,  got  a  sur 
prise  for  me !  Now,  if  there  is  anything  I  hate,  it's 
being  surprised,  or  leaving  people  to  speculate  about 
anything.  It  is  a  breeder  of  the  imagination  and  curse 
of  the  world  ;  but  you  don't  catch  me.  Jackson  Bur 
leigh,  Esquire,  to  go  wool-gathering  with  my  head.  I 
won't  be  surprised.  I  will  just  make  a  cup  of  tea,  and 
think  it  out  by  myself.  I  know  men  don't  like  that  way 
of  doing  business  ;  they  always  want  to  make  women 
feel  that  they  know  a  little  more  than  they  do,  and  when 
they  find  a  woman  that  gets  at  their  shy,  crooked  ways, 
they  are  skeery  of  her  as  a  hen  is  of  a  hawk,  but  that 
don't  make  me  feel  bad.  I'd  rather  be  a  hawk  anyway, 
flying  around  in  the  sky,  than  to  be  a  chicken  sitting 
on  the  ground  waiting  to  be  gobbled  up." 

Aunt  Jerusha  proceeded  to  make  her  evening  tea,  and 
a  nice  little  repast  she  set  out  for  herself.  There  was  the 
tenderest  bit  of  chicken  she  could  find,  and  some  of  her 
own  canned  plums,  with  the  thickest  of  cream  pored 
over  them,  and  such  butter,  cheeseand  bread  could  not  be 
found  in  the  country  around  ;  and,  when  she  made  coffee, 
the  odor  would  permeate  to  the  big  kitchen,  and  make 
Sam  Knowles  smack  his  lips.  If  it  was  tea,  Mary,  the 
girl  of  all  work,  would  drawl  out  to  Sam  :  "Look 


24  UNDER  BLUE  SKIES.       • 

• 

out  for  Miss  Bigelow's  sharp  tongue  to-morrow ;  just 
smell  that  tea ;  she  won't  sleep  a  wink  to-night,  but 
lie  awake  and  hatch  up  work  for  us.  Oh,  my !  I  do 
wish  she  was  paralyzed  ;  don't  you,  Sam  ?  " 

"Yes,  I  do,  Mary;  and  then  she  would  be  mighty 
glad  to  have  me  invent  some  wheels  for  me  to  move  her 
around  with,  wouldn't  she?" 

Aunt  Jerusha  sipped  her  tea,  and  ate  her  goodies,  and 
would  once  in  a  while  break  out.  "  Oh,  these  men,  with 
their  club  suppers,  don't  get  ahead  of  me  ;  while  there 
are  only  three  in  this  club,  Tabby,  Bruno  and  Jerusha 
Bigelow,  but  these  three  will  never  get  left  by  man's 
neglect,  so  long  as  I  have  an  eye,  a  hand  and  a  head  to 
to  look  after  Burleigh  Place."  She  had  another  old 
fashioned  habit  of  looking  into  the  bottom  of  her  tea 
cup,  after  its  contents  were  gone  ;  she  said  to  her  neigh 
bors,  it  settled  her  head  and  many  a  snarl  had  she 
untwisted  in  this  manner.  "  Yes,  it's  plain  as  day,"  and 
she  set  down  her  cup  with  a  jingle  ;  "  George  Burleigh 
is  going  to  be  married  ;  just  as  if  that  would  be  a  sur 
prise  to  me  ;  when  these  men  can't  think  of  any  more 
mischief  to  do,  they  go  and  get  married,  and  that  caps 
the  climax.  Well,  yes,"  as  if  she  were  talking  to  an 
imaginary  person,  "  Squire  Bigelow  is  an  old  Batch  ; 
it  was  just  because  he  was  afraid  he  would  have  to  be 
bothered  a  little  ;  and  if  I  do  say  it,  though  I  don't 
'spose  it  is  modest  for  me  to  do  so,  I  have  made  him  a 
good  home,  taken  care  of  his  clothes  and  looked  out  for 
his  stomach,  which  is  more  than  half  the  wives  do  at  the 
present  day.  I  don't  see  why  I  haven't  a  right  to  say 
I've  made  a  good  home  for  him  if  I  have." 


UNDER  BLUE  SKIES.  25 

"Aunt  Jerusha  !  Aunt  Jerusha  !"  and  one  of  the 
sweetest  voices  that  one  could  imagine,  rang  down  the 
stairway.  Voices  are  the  truest  index  of  mind,  soul 
and  body  ;  some  are  silver,  and  we  know  that  the  mind 
is  as  clear  as  a  crystal  lake  ;  others  are  golden,  and  we 
feel  the  warmth  of  their  emotional  nature  before  we  see 
their  face  ;  then  we  have  the  coarse  metallic  voice,  that 
reminds  us  of  the  animal  creation,  even  if  it  springs 
from  human  lips;  some  rasp  upon  the  nerves,  and 
others  quiet ;  but  above  and  through  them  all,  we  see 
the  true  man  or  woman.  While  the  human  character 
can  be  made  to  lie  and  cheat,  it  takes  an  adept,  to  so 
control  the  human  voice  sufficiently  not  to  betray  the 
soul  back  of  it. 

"  What  do  you  want,  Amelia  ?"  and  Jerusha  put  her 
head  out  just  far  enough  to  see  the  loveliest  sight  in  the 
world  :  A  girl  of  sixteen,  with  brown  hair  that  was  in 
a  tangle  of  curls,  and  cheeks  that  the  rose  might  envy, 
with  brown  eyes  sparkling,  and  so  large  that  the  rest  of 
the  face  seemed  small — standing  in  a  neglige  robe,  with 
the  cutest  little  foot,  without  any  hose,  peeping  out ; 
with  a  tall  wax  candle  swinging  back  and  forth  in  her 
hand,  as  everything  has  to  dance  that  Amelia  Bigelow 
touched.  "  Amelia,  put  that  candle  down,  at  once  ! 
you'll  have  this  house  on  fire  !  lucky  I  never  let  you  have 
a  lamp,  for  we'd  have  been  blown  up  long  ago  if  I  had. 
Why  are  you  out  there  this  time  of  night,  screaming  at 
me  ?  Don't  you  know  that  you  will  have  rheumatiz 
when  you  get  old  if  you  run  -around  in  bare  feet?  I 
always  kept  mine  warm  and  dry,  and  that's  why  I  am 
straight  as  an  arrow,  and  not  bent  up  as  most  old  folks 
are  at  my  age." 


26  UNDER  BLUE  SKIES. 

"  Aunt  Jerusha,  come  up  and  hear  the  raps  on  my 
head  board  ;  they  have  come  again,  and  it's  just  splen 
did  ;  I  can  talk  with  them." 

"  Amelia  Bigelow,  walk  down  here  this  minute, 
and  never  let  me  hear  you  speak  a  loud  word 
on  such  a  subject  again,  where  folks  can  hear 
you,  as  long  as  I  live."  And  as  Amelia  bounded 
down  the  stairs,  Jerusha  thrust  out  her  long-  arm  and 
pushed  her  into  the  sitting  room,  much  to  the  young 
lady's  astonishment  at  the  repast  she  saw  spread  before 
her.  Aunt  Jerusha  had  preached  all  her  life  that  eating 
and  drinking  were  the  two  cardinal  sins  of  mankind, 
especially  more  food  than  was  required  to  keep  the 
body  alive  ;  it  was  eating  and  drinking  that  carried  Eve 
to  sin  and  David  to  stumble  in  Bible  times,  and  she  had 
said  many  a  time  that  if  the  working  people  would  stop 
eating  so  much  they  might  lay  by  something  for  their 
old  age. 

Amelia  took  in  the  situation  at  a  glance,  and  laughed 
long  and  merrily.  "  Now,  you  just  sit  right  down  in 
that  chair  Amelia,  and  stop  laughing  ;  it  isn't  a  laughing 
matter,  getting  people  out  of  their  beds  at  this  time  of 
night." 

"  Well,  Aunt  Jerusha,  you  were  not  in  bed,  and  I 
wasn't  laughing  at  that.  I  was  laughing " 

But  Jerusha  was  too  smart  to  let  her  say  what  she 
was  laughing  at,  and  interrupted  her  with  these  words  : 
"  This  is  the  second  time  I  have  heard  about  the  tricks 
of  your  imagination.  Oh,  I  might  have  known  that  my 
brother  John,  who  was  too  shiftless  to  live,  and  left  a 
poor  broken-down  widow  who  was  too  lazy  to  work, 


UNDER  BLUE  SKIES.  27 

would  bring  into  the  world  just  such  a  child  as  you  are, 
Amelia,  to  worry  the  life  out  of  me  ;  all  imagination,  and 
no  commonsense.  I  tell  you,  Amelia,  there  is  no  such 
thing  as  '  raps '  ;  it's  only  what  the  rats  make,  and  the 
weather  shrinking  up  boards." 

"But,  aunt,  can  the  rats  move  furniture,  and  the 
boards  write  ?  Who  taught  rats  how  to  spell  ?" 

"  Oh,  good  Lord,  and  good  devil  ;  what  is  the  world 
coming  to  ?  You  need  catnip  tea,  Amelia,  for  your 
stomach  is  upset ;  and  all  such  notions  come  from  a  bad 
stomach  and  diseased  liver.  I'll  get  down  my  herb  bag, 
and  fix  you  a  dose  to-morrow,  that  I  will  risk  you  hear 
ing  any  more  raps.  Oh,  if  people  would  only  keep 
their  blood  pure,  and  do  hard  work,  they  couldn't  go  a 
sneaking  round  after  spooks  to  take  up  their  attention  ; 
and  after  you've  taken  a  dose,  you  just  let  me  know  if 
you  hear  any  more  raps,  and  I  will  settle  'em  mighty 
quick." 

"  Why,  Aunt  Jerusha,  they've  got  so  they  can  write, 
and  it's  my  father,  your  own  brother!" 

"  My  brother,  John  W.  Bigelow,  is  in  heaven ; 
and  if  he  didn't  have  any  paper,  which  I  s'pose 
he  wouldn't,  being  shiftless,  he  would  go  to  some 
of  those  old  saints,  Jacob  or  Solomon,  or  John 
or  Matthew,  and  get  some  paper  and  send  it 
through  the  U.  S.  mail,  as  he  should  ;  and  you  go 
right  straight  back  to  bed  while  I  go  out  to  the  kitchen 
to  see  if  Mary  or  Sam  are  chasing  around  spirits,  and 
settle  the  question,  that  this  house  ain't  agoing  to  be 
turned  into  any  graveyard  business."  And  Jerusha 
started  on  her  errand,  while  Amelia  tripped  upstairs 


28  UNDER  BLUE  SKIES. 

more  determined  than  ever  to  "  try  the  spirits,"  to  see  if 

they  be  of  God,  as  the  Bible  commands. 

*  * 

"  You  say  you  are  surprised,  Leland,  that  George  is 
going  to  be  married ;  now,  I'd  like  to  know  the  reason 
why?" 

41  Oh,  you  misunderstand  me,  Jackson  ;  I  am  not 
surprised  that  he  is  going  to  be  married,  but  am  sur 
prised  at  the  person  he  has  selected." 

41  What  fault  can  you  find  with  Grace  Rowland  ? 
she  seems  the  perfection  of  female  lovliness." 

41  But,  I  believe  she  is  not  the  one  for  George  !  He 
is  merely  carried  away  by  his  passion  and  fancy ;  and 
you  know  it,  Jack  !  " 

44  Well,  what  if  he  is,  Lee  ?  I  say,  that  a  man  in  this 
world  is  entitled  to  the  charm  of  the  gratification  of  his 
senses  ;  and  you  pessimists  who  see  life  all  wrong  should 
never  allow  your  minds  to  reflect  your  ideas,  at  least  upon 
those  of  younger  date." 

44  I  can  see  no  happy  future  for  him,  Jack,  in 
a  marriage  of  this  kind ;  your  nephew  is  not  like 
you  in  every  respect  ;  he,  at  least,  realizes  at 
times  the  demands  of  his  higher  nature,  and  in  the 
future  he  will  realize  it  more ;  and  after  awhile  his  soul 
will  cry  out  for  more  food  and  light — a  demand  as 
imperative  as  a  physical  want — and  if  nature  has  not 
given  this  young  lady  the  supply,  it  is  not  her  fault — 
they  are  simply  mismated." 

44  Oh,  bosh,  Leland  ;  you  speak  as  though  you  could 
read  the  future,  like  the  prophets  of  old,  and  they  were 
a  set  of  old  humbugs,  as  there  is  no  such  gift  as 


UNDER  BLUE  SKIES.  29 

prophecy  ;  if  this  marriage,  after  a  trial  of  years,  proves 
a  failure,  Leland,  let  them  dissolve  it  !  I  am  a  social 
reformer,  if  not  a  religious  one  ;  marriage  is  a  civil  con 
tract  like  any  other,  and  should  be  broken  when  the 
conditions  are  found  to  be  unfavorable  to  success  ;  I  do 
not  believe  in  two  human  beings  living  in  hades  to  please 
one's  neighbors ;  they  are  never  grateful  enough  for 
such  a  sacrifice." 

"  You  shock  me,  Jack  !  You  don't  seem  to  take  into 
consideration  that  children  are  usually  the  result  of 
marriage,  and  what  is  one  to  do  in  such  cases  ?" 

"  Well,  I  would  say,  Lee,  because  there  is  some  fruit 
on  the  tree,  I  would  not  let  the  tree  die,  even  if  the  fruit 
had  to  ripen  elsewhere  and  in  sunshine  ;  for  I  can  assure 
you  that  it  has  been  my  observation  that  there  is  mighty 
little  sunshine  in  an  unhappy  home  when  the  father  and 
mother  are  constantly  quarreling.  If  you  should  see 
two  commercial  men  carrying  out  a  contract  that  ceased 
to  be  of  mutual  interest,  you  would  say  they  were  fools, 
and  the  idea  that  marriages  are  made  in  heaven  was 
exploded  years  ago,  or  should  be.  If  the  God  whom  the 
Christians  believe  in  (which  I  don't),  is  allowing  that 
kind  of  business  to  be  contracted  up  there  in  heaven,  it 
is  time  there  was  a  petition  sent  up  to  the  overruling 
Providence  to  call  a  stop  against  all  such  proceedings. 
I  tell  you,  Leland,  that  marriage  is  a  civil  contract ; 
but  we  will  go  back  to  the  case  of  the  children,  for  that 
is  the  bone  the  social  dog  won't  let  go  of.  Don't  you 
see  any  other  sad  cases  in  life  in  regard  to  children  ? 
For  instance,  when  a  father  has  reared  them  in  luxury, 
and  by  a  failure  leaves  them  penniless.  One  of  the 


30  UNDER  BLUE  SKIES. 

most  distressing  instances  I  ever  witnessed  was  the 
children  of  an  old  classmate  of  mine,  who  had  received 
education  and  everything  else  that  the  world  can  offer, 
working  in  one  of  our  large  factories,  and  the  worst  of 
it  was,  it  was  impossible  to  take  them  from  the  position 
that  they  were  unfitted  for,  and  place  them  among  a 
class  of  people  that  they  were  fitted  to  associate  with 
without  the  requisite  amount  of  money  to  do  it  with.  Is 
it  not  a  pleasant  sight  to  count  the  orphans  in  our  large 
cities  of  young  and  tender  age?  The  ship  that  goes  out 
to  sea  and  sinks  is  not  the  one  that  we  are  looking  for, 
but  the  one  that  comes  into  port  prosperous  and  success 
ful  ;  disaster  is  disaster,  and  a  failure  is  a  failure.  I 
don't  believe  in  going  into  marriage  or  business  with  the 
idea  it  is  going  to  be  a  failure  ;  but  if  it  comes,  look  at 
it  as  you  would  the  ship  sent  out  which  could  not  stand 
the  storm,  but  put  out  to  sea  with  as  good  intentions  as 
its  sister  ship,  which  arrived  in  port  with  no  marks  of 
being  weather-beaten  ;  society  calls  it  lost,  because  a  sail 
is  missing  or  a  spar  broken,  but  I  say  no,  for  I  see  in  nature 
an  effort  to  repair  all  damages,  and  nature  is  a  good 
enough  God  forme." 

"  Your  remarks  move  and  impress  me  deeply,  Jack 
son,  but  it  is  a  strange  argument  to  come  from  a  mate 
rialist  who  depends  so  much  upon  the  world  for  happi 
ness  ;  for  when  a  man  or  woman  is  socially  dead,  if  they 
are  of  the  world  worldly,  they  might  as  well  be  in  body." 

"  Call  me  what  you  may,  Lee,  I  say  this — that  hap 
piness  is  the  materialist's  creed,  and  I  have  heard  you  say 
money  is  his  God,  and  when  we  are  wise  enough  to  hold 
on  to  our  God'and  work  for  our  happiness,  we  can  snap 


UNDER  BL  UE  SKIES.  3 1 

our  fingers  at  the  world,  which  soon  forgets  your  mis 
takes  if  you  can  cover  them  over  with  the  velvet  mantle 
of  plenty." 

"Well,  you  know,  Jack,  we  can  never  agree  on  these 
subjects  ;  for  you  live  only  in  the  present,  and  I  almost 
entirely  in  the  future.  I  wish,  however,  that  George 
had  been  attracted  to  Miss  Grace's  friend,  Marian 
Stanton,  for  there  would  have  been  a  woman  who  could 
hold  in  happy  equipoise  such  a  strong  nature  as  George 
possesses." 

So  opposite  were  these  two  friends,  that  one  only 
smoked  over  the  conversation  in  happy,  physical  con 
tent,  while  the  other,  a  poet  and  dreamer,  saw  far 

beyond  the  present  years,  into  the  great  limitless  future. 

*  * 
* 

There  are  many  persons  who  enjoy  reading  the 
details  of  a  courtship ;  but  that  of  George  and  Grace 
did  not  vary  enough  from  the  old,  old  story,  to  make  it 
at  all  interesting  to  our  readers ;  for  we  all  know  that 
the  participants  always  believe  that  it  is  love — love — that 
makes  the  wheels  go  round.  So  it  was  not  so  great  an 
event  as  one  would  at  first  imagine,  to  see  the  light  and 
airy  form  of  George  Burleigh's  wife  flit  in  and  out  of  the 
grand  rooms,  as  the  beautiful  autumn  days  glided  by. 
Aunt  Jerusha  called  her  the  "wax  doll,"  and  said  she 
did  not  trouble  her  any,  as  she  never  played  with 
dolls  in  her  childhood,  and  she  should  surely  let  the 
delicate,  shaky  things  alone  at  her  time  of  life,  for  fear 
there  would  be  a  smash-up.  Amelia,  Sam  and  Mary, 
however,  thought  no  angel  from  heaven  could  be  more 
loving  and  beautiful.  No  one  seemed  to  tire  of  her, 


32  UNDER  BLUE  SKIES. 

except  George  himself.  His  was  a  nature  that  craved 
variety ;  and  no  matter  how  beautiful  the  melody  in  his 
heart,  if  one  constantly  struck  the  same  chords,  it 
wearied  him  beyond  expression. 

Summer  rolled  on  and  they  were  arranging  to  move 
to  their  city  quarters,  much  to  Aunt  Jerusha's  delight  ; 
but  to  the  sorrow  of  pretty  Amelia  who  thereby  lost  a 
friend  and  a  companion.  As  the  carriages  rolled  away 
and  night  settled  down,  Jerusha  looked  out  of  the 
window  and  remarked  :  "What  a  stinging  cold  night  it 
is  !  and  how  those  windows  shake  and  the  maples  bend." 

"  I  think  it's  awful  lonesome,"  said  Amelia,  "  and 
some  nuts,  apples  and  cider  would  taste  good  and 
wouldn't  hurt  us  a  bit ;  would  it,  Aunt  Jerusha?  "  Now 
Jerusha  was  on  the  point  of  commencing  one  of  her 
accustomed  lectures  upon  the  sins  of  eating  and  drink 
ing,  when  she  remembered  the  interview  with  Amelia 
on  the  night  of  the  raps,  and  said  under  her  breath, 
"  verily,  my  sin  has  found  me  out." 


*  * 

* 


We  are  very  often  disturbed  in  our  most  comfortable 
moments,  and  it  was  not  an  agreeable  visitor  that 
Jerusha  saw  standing  in  her  door  when  she  had  buried 
herself  deep  down  in  her  feather  bed.  She  had  her  own 
original  ideas  about  sleeping  ;  she  said  people  had  got 
to  sleep  on  or  in  and  those  two  words  settled  the  ques 
tion.  She,  herself,  preferred  to  sleep  in  a  feather  bed  ; 
but  there  were  city  people  who  wanted  to  sleep  on  a 
mattress,  and  some  had  to  move  around  to  get  rested 
and  others  wished  to  lie  perfectly  still,  but  if  they  got 
into  the  wrong  bed  and  got  no  rest,  they  might  as  well 


UNDER  BLUE  SKIES.  33 

sit  up  in  a  chair.  So  it  was  not  a  welcome  visitor  when 
she  saw  the  lovely  face  of  little  Amelia  and  heard  the 
sweet  voice  breaking  the  darkness  and  gloom:  "You 
know  you  said,  Aunt  Jerusha,  that  whenever  I  heard 
those  raps  again  you  would  come  up  to  myroom  and  if 
they  were  ghosts  you  could  make  them  mind  ;  so  come 
quick,  because  they  are  there  now  !  " 

Jerusha  felt  every  hair  rise  on  her  head  with  holy 
indignation  ;  why  couldn't  they  come  at  a  reasonable 
hour?  Why  were  they  poking  around  in  the  daikness, 
if  they  meant  good  and  were  intelligert  people?  She 
would  get  up  and  just  let  whatever  it  was  know  that  she 
wasn't  afraid,  and  could  master  the  situation,  h'o 
hastily  dressing,  not  even  laying  aside  her  night  cap, 
which  had  a  deep  frilled  ruffle  that  her  great  grand 
mother  wore  and  which  made  her  look  like  one  of  the 
goblins  of  old,  she  pinned  around  her  shoulders  her  red 
flannel  petticoat,  and  walked  stately  and  slowly  into 
Amelia's  room. 

Rap,  rap,  rap,  as  she  entered  the  door ;  rap,  rap,  rap, 
as  Amelia  approached  the  bed,  and  it  rose  a  few  inches 
in  the  air.  "  Don't  you  go  near  that  bedstead,  Amelia 
Bigelow  !  You  jest  put  on  your  shoes  and  stockings, 
and  pin  that  flannel  shawl  around  you,  and  come  and 
stand  by  me,  and  we'll  see  if  there'll  be  any  raps  and 
snaps."  But  as  the  raps  grew  louder  and  louder, 
Jerusha  said,  '•  It  may  be  the  devil  !  aud  you  don't 
know  but  he  may  be  cracking  your  joints  to  help  him 
along  with  the  bedstead."  For  she  had  read  more  than 
she  would  acknowledge  to  herself  or  others ;  there 
were  girls  by  the  name  of  Fox  or  Foxes,  she  did  not 


34  UNDER  BLUE  SKIES. 

remember  which,  in  whom  the  devil  had  cracked  every 
joint  in  their  bodies  to  produce  raps,  and  those  girls  had 
died  from  the  effects  of  the  devil's  workings,  and  she 
didn't  intend  to  have  her  niece  used  likewise.  "  I  com 
mand  you  to  stop\  "  said  she,  in  a  loud,  masculine  voice; 
but  no,  the  bed  arose  again,  then  in  a  higher  key,  "  put 
your  legs  down  onto  the  floor !"  then  the  bed  moved 
across  the  room  toward  them — "Oh,  good  Lord  and 
good  devil  !  Stop,  I  say  !  " 

"  Why,  Aunt  Jerusha,  why  do  you  pray  to  both  ?  It 
can't  be  both,  you  know  !" 

"  Well,  Amelia,  I  am  bound  to  be  on  the  safe  side, 
as  I  see  as  much  of  the  devil's  works  as  I  do  of  the 
Lord's,  and  I  am  not  so  sure  which  will  beat  at  last,  so 
I  continue  to  say — good  Lord  or  good  devil,  stop  moving 
that  bedstead  ! "  But  it  still  refused  to  obey. 

"Why,  aunt,  it  is  not  the  devil,  it  is  father, your  own 
brother !" 

"  How  do  you  know,  you  simpleton  ;  does  that  piece 
of  furniture  look  like  my  dear,  departed  brother?  Oh, 
that  I  should  ever  live  to  see  the  furniture  of  Burleigh 
Place  cutting  up  such  antics  !" 

"  I  told  Sam  and  Mary  about  it,  and  how  hard  I  had  to 
work  to  get  a  word  spelled  out,  and  Sam,  he " 

"Stop  !"  said  Jerusha,  "  I  know  the  rest.  That  long- 
legged,  long-headed  Yankee  has  invented  a  machine  to 
help  along  the  work  of  the  devil !  I  wouldn't  wonder, 
Amelia,  if  he  had  a  scheme  to  get  this  house  the  name 
of  being  haunted,  and  save  up  his  wages,  and  buy  it  for 
little  or  nothing,  but  I'll  outwit  that  plan  ;  so  you  come 
down  stairs  and  sleep  on  the  lounge  in  my  room,  and 


UNDER  BLUE  SKIES.  35 

to-morrow  we'll  take  that  bedstead  down,  and  I  will  get 
some  lye  soap  and  ashes,  good  lye  soap,  and  we'll  scour 
and  scrub,  and  see  if  the  devil  will  do  any  more  lying 
on  it,  or  in  it,"  and  she  bounced  down  to  her  good,  warm 
feather  bed. 

The  next  morning  Amelia  walked  shyly  into  her  aunt's 
sitting  room,  holding  her  hand  behind  her,  in  which 
she  held  a  letter.  "  Here  it  is,  Aunt  Jerusha  !  you  see 
they  wouldn't  stop  rapping  until  I  got  Sam's  machine 
to  write  for  them,  and  papa  has  written  this  to  you." 

"Amelia  Bigelow,  I  wouldn't  read  that  letter  for  fifty 
dollars  ;  put  it  in  the  fire,  you  are  bewitched  !  You  go 
at  once  and  tell  Parson  Wilder  to  come  up  here,  and 
we'll  have  prayers,  for  when  folks  can't  run  their  own 
house,  it's  time  for  them.  I  was  afraid  those  ungodly 
city  folks  would  leave  the  devil  behind  them  for  me  to 
rout  out  after  they  were  gone,  and  I  shall  do  it,  if  there 
is  any  virtue  in  good  orthodox  prayers,  for  Parson 
Wilder  preached  only  last  Sunday  that  God's  struggle 
with  the  devil  was  a  fearful  one,  and  it  needed  all  the 
Christian  grace  the  church  could  command,  not  to  have 

him  overthrown  by  the  evil  one  at  last." 

*  * 
* 

Philosophers  have  theorized  days,  weeks  and  months 
where  the  idea  of  sheol  or  hades  first  originated  in  the 
brain  of  man,  as  we  look  over  the  vast  history  of  religious 
thought.  If  they  wish  to  know  where  to  locate  the  place  in 
our  modern  times,  I  would  call  their  attention  to  a  small 
family  hotel,  or  a  fashionable  boarding  house  in  that 
quarter  of  a  city  where  are  supposed  to  dwell  the  exclu 
sive  blue-bloods  of  fashionable  life. 


It  UNDER  BLUE  SKIES. 

When  our  party  from  Burleigh  Place  arrived  in 
that  renowned  city  called  the  modern  Athens  of 
America,  they  at  once  arranged  to  locate  in  a  back 
bay  hotel,  to  enjoy  the  advantages  of  the  city, 
which  is  noted  all  over  the  world  for  its  cul 
ture,  its  good  society,  and  its  great  variety  of  amuse 
ment  and  life.  As  some  of  the  inmates  of  this  hotel 
have  to  play  an  important  part  in  our  story,  let  me  pre 
sent  a  few  characters  to  the  attention  of  my  readers. 

The  soft  light  of  a  beautiful  afternoon  falls  upon  one 
of  the  cosiest  and  most  artistic  parlors  that  can  be 
found  in  any  city;  every  article  of  furniture  seemed  made 
for  the  room,  every  nook  was  filled  with  an  easy  chair, 
and  no  vase  or  jardiniere  was  there  for  ornament  alone 
but  were  filled  with  the  choicest  of  plants  and  flowers  ; 
an  open  grate  heated  the  room  at  the  right  temperature 
for  all — no  one  could  complain  it  was  too  hot  or  too 
cold  for  the  reason  that  the  proprietor  of  this  back  bay 
"bijou"  knew  from  long  years'  experience  that  he  had 
the  most  difficult  people  in  the  world  to  please,  a  class 
who  indulged  themselves  in  refined  luxury,  who  had 
good  breeding  and  sound  judgment  enough  to  know 
that  the  proprietor  of  a  hotel  had  more  than  one  person 
to  please,  and  that  the  happy  medium  was  always  the 
one  to  choose  to  be  sure  of  success.  The  colors  of  the 
upholstery  were  of  those  neutral  tints,  so  well  adapted 
to  be  the  back  ground  for  the  dress  of  the  lady  inmates, 
and  not  of  those  gaudy  tints  which  many  times  ruin  the 
effect  of  the  loveliest  costume. 

The  afternoon  that  our  friends,  Senator  Burleigh  and 
family  arrived,  the  parlor  was  occupied  by  our  old  friend, 


UNDER  BLUE  SKIES.  37 

Marian  Stanton  and  her  mother,  Mrs.  Fred.  Fay,  a  noted 
beauty  and  society  leader,  Dr.  William  Fay,  her  uncle, 
Mrs.  Dumont  Hale,  an  ancient  society  lady,  a  woman  and 
a  little  golden-haired  child  whom  no  one  knew  or  could 
place,  and  the  polished  roue,  Sir  Wallace  Reynolds,  whom 
the  Boston  elite  had  welcomed  with  open  arms  and 
placed  at  the  head  of  their  most  exclusive  circles. 

Mrs.  Fay  rushed  to  the  window  at  the  sound  of  the 
wheels,  for  she  was  a  woman  who  allowed  nothing  to 
escape  her.  "Ah!  we  are  to  have  fresh  arrivals,"  but 
the  news  did  not  seem  to  arouse  the  others  sufficiently 
for  them  to  leave  their  easy  chairs,  with  the  exception  of 
Sir  Wallace,  who  walked  leisurely  to  the  window. 
"  Deuced  fine  looking  people  !"  he  drawled,  "  I  wonder 
who  they  are  ?" 

"  I  just  wish  I  knew  this  very  moment,  for  I  am  dying 
of  ennui,"  and  Beatrice  Fay  turned  from  the  window 
with  a  shrug  of  her  pretty  shoulders.  If  an  amateur  artist 
was  painting  this  lady's  portrait,  he  might  make  the  mis 
take  of  sketching  hastily  her  outline  and  filling  in  here 
and  there  the  varying  shades  that  make  up  a  painting, 
but  not  so  with  a  veteran  of  the  brush.  He  would  say, 
"  here  is  a  person  one  must  study  carefully;"  he  would 
know  that  she  was  a  thorough  woman  of  the  world,  and 
all  about  her  so  studied  that  in  order  to  produce  a  cor 
rect  likeness  one  would  have  to  study  details. 

Beatrice  Fay,  unlike  some  prudish  women  in  the 
fashionable  world,  knew  that  after  a  lady  had  passed  her 
thirtieth  year,  nature,  no  matter  how  much  one  might 
coax  and  cajole  her,  would  not  come  to  a  woman's 
rescue.  That  dear  old  dame  might  paint  the  blush  on 


38  UNDER  BLUE  SKIES. 

the  cheek  of  the  maid  of  sixteen,  and  might  throw  the 
Sparkle  of  the  diamond  into  her  eye — might  be  a  little 
more  kind  and  quicken  the  elastic  step  in  a  girl  of 
twenty,  but,  alas  !  for  the  woman,  a  little  passe,  who  is 
dreading  her  forties.  So  well  did  Mrs.  Fay  know  how 
to  blend  art  with  nature  to  procure  the  charms  of  youth 
that  she  was  actually  hated  by  a  much  younger  class  of 
women  who  walked  beside  her  in  the  flowery  but  thorny 
path  of  fashionable  life  ;  how  sweetly  they  would  flatter 
her  to  her  face,  but  how  bitterly  they  would  talk  about 
her  behind  her  back.  This  she  very  well  knew  and  she 
cared  no  more  about  it  then  she  did  for  a  soiled  glove 
which  she  threw  away  from  her  in  disgust.  If  more 
bitter  than  usual,  she  defeated  its  effect  by  praising  their 
virtues  to  her  gentlemen  friends,  and  held  up  those 
very  women  to  their  ridicule,  thus  punishing  them  for 
pricking  her  charms  with  the  sharp  needle  of  envy  and 
jealousy.  She  was  never  seen  dressed  in  a  manner  that 
did  not  fit  the  occasion,  because  she  never  allowed  the 
world  to  upset  her  plans  ;  if  she  came  down  dressed  for 
the  street  and  was  urged  to  remain  within  on  account  of 
an  approaching  storm,  she  went  out  just  the  same,  if  only 
to  the  corner  of  the  next  street,  so  as  to  have  an  excuse 
to  appear  again  in  a  charming  house  dress  that  was  so 
successfully  combined  with  lace,  ribbons  and  velvet  that 
no  one  could  tell  exactly  how  it  was  made  nor  whom 
the  designer,  for  the  eye  only  caught  its  beauty  and 
retained  its  rareness.  Her  hair  was  of  a  decided  blonde 
shade,  of  a  golden  tint ;  her  complexion  was  pink  and 
white,  unchanging  by  any  emotion  ;  her  eye  was  cold, 
blue,  and  glittered  like  the  sapphires  she  wore  so  pro- 


UNDER  BLUE  SKIES.  39 

fusely  ;  her  features  were  perfect  and  the  expression  was 
of  that  decision  that  stamped  all  the  other  character 
istics  of  this  woman.  There  was  some  subtle  magnetism 
about  her  that  impressed  everyone  with  the  strength 
of  her  character,  no  matter  how  delicate  was  her 
appearance. 

It  is  very  strange  that  some  people  make  the  great 
mistake  of  thinking  that  all  blondes  are  of  the  same 
disposition,  or  that  all  brunettes  are  ;  the  soul  dons  a 
dark  or  a  light  garment,  as  best  suits  its  environments. 
For  there  there  could  be  no  greater  contrast  between 
two  persons  than  between  the  beautiful,  fair-haired 
woman,  with  the  little  girl  by  her  side,  and  this  beau 
tiful,  fair-haired  woman  of  the  world.  The  strange 
lady's  hair  some  would  call  flaxen,  but  that  would  be 
entirely  wrong,  for  the  shade  depended  upon  the  light, 
as  some  rare  old  painting  depends  upon  the  light  for  its 
beauty  and  richness.  Her  eyes  were  neither  blue  nor 
hazel,  but  depended  for  their  color  upon  the  emotions 
of  the  heart,  the  same  as  her  hair  did  upon  the  light. 
This  fragile  little  lady  was  not  like  the  worldly  Mrs.  Fay, 
who  could  control  circumstances,  for  she  was  controlled 
by  them.  Mrs.  Fay,  who  read  human  nature  as  she 
would  an  open  book,  saw  this  peculiarity,  and  disliked 
her  for  it.  She  had  said  many  times,  "  What  business  had 
such  a  person  to  be  in  the  world,  especially  in  the  world 
of  fashion,  unless  they  have  some  masculine  protector?" 
She  guarded  the  secrets  of  her  own  life  as  a  miser  would 
his  gold,  but  hated  a  mystery  in  others  that  she  could 
not  solve.  As  the  lady  and  child  left  the  room,  and  she 
saw  that  she  had  created  no  interest  about  the  new 


40  UNDER  BLUE  SKIES, 

arrivals,  her  cold,  metallic  voice  cut  the  air  with  the 
words,  "Who  is  that  woman?" 

The  effect  of  her  words  was  like  the  sharp  sting  of  a 
riding  whip  on  the  nerves  of  all  the  inmates  of  the  par 
lor,  the  exact  effect  she  wished  to  produce,  for  she  often 
said  that  a  sleep.y  hotel  crowd  was  not  to  be  tolerated  for 
one  moment,  and  if  she  could  break  up  the  monotony  she 
would  every  time.  There  was  one,  however,  whom  she 
feared,  because  she  knew  he  thoroughly  knew  her  motives 
and  how  to  manage  her,  and  that  was  Dr.  William  Fay, 
her  uncle  by  marriage,  who  had  been  her  guardian  for  a 
number  of  years,  in  fact,  ever  since  her  husband's  death. 
It  was  out  of  respect  to  his  dead  wife,  her  aunt,  that  he 
had  any  patience  with  her.  Sir  Wallace  Reynolds  should 
have  known  her  more  thoroughly,  as  they  were  lovers 
sub  rosa  and  good  friends  in  society,  but  his  knowledge 
of  her  was  superficial,  like  reading  the  preface  of  a  book, 
and  not  knowing  its  contents.  And  when  Dr.  Fay 
looked  in  her  eyes  with  cold  disdain,  and  asked,  "Why 
do  you  wish  to  know,  Beatrice?"  she  was  for  a  moment 
thrown  off  her  guard,  and  could  not  rally  her  forces 
sufficiently  to  reply,  and  thus  gave  him  the  floor.  "  Has 
she  not  a  right  here  without  a  published  account  of  her 
past  life  ?"  he  asked.  "  This  hotel  is  for  the  convenience 
of  the  public,  and  as  long  as  one  behaves  themselves  it 
is  no  one's  particular  business  about  their  private  his 
tory."  This  had  a  good  effect  upon  the  others,  and 
Mrs.  Fay  saw  it,  but  like  a  general  of  an  army  who  sees 
his  forces  scattered,  and  knows  he  must  try  another 
tactic,  she  brought  to  bear,  not  her  knowledge  of  life, 
but  her  tact,  which  so  few  women  possess ;  smiling 


UNDER  BLUE  SKIES.  4' 

sweetly,  she  said  in  a  low  tone,  "  I  only  wished  to  know, 
as  she  seems  so  lovely  that  one  feels  like  addressing  her 
if  one  only  knew  her  name."  Dr.  Fay  swallowed  the 
lie  because  he  had  to,  and  turned  on  his  heel  to  leave  the 
room  with  the  words,  "  If  you  feel  so  concerned 'you  had 

best  consult  the  register  !" 

*  * 

* 

A  few  weeks  have  rolled  along  rapidly,  gathering  like 
a  ball  of  snow  the  events  as  they  pass  along.  Those 
whom  we  first  met  in  the  hotel  are  still  guests  there,  and 
all  are  on  friendly  terms  with  Senator  Burleigh's  family. 
On  this  afternoon  Mrs.  Fay  and  Sir  Wallace  are  to  drive 
out  together,  and  Mrs.  Dumont  Hale  watching  them 
from  the  window  exclaims,  "  How  well  they  look 
together  !  Such  brilliant  beauty  as  Mrs.  Fay  has,  and  Sir 
Wallace  so  aristocratic."  As  all  agreed  with  her  she 
could  only  sigh  and  remember  that  she  too  was  once  a 
beauty  and  had  her  aristocratic  lovers. 

The  conversation  of  the  pair  who  are  enjoying  the 
afternoon  drive  has  so  much  to  do  with  the  characters 
of  those  who  are  to  be  acquaintances  of  my  readers  we 
will  repeat  it. 

"  I  can't  see  your  object,  Beatrice,"  and  Sir  Wallace 
pulled  hard  on  the  lines  of  the  spirited  horses. 

"  Of  course  not !  You  men  never  can  see  why  a 
woman  should  have  the  pleasure  your  sex  enjoys,  simply 
because  we  are  women." 

"But  deuce  take  it,  Beatrice  !  George  Burleigh  is  a 
married  man,  and  what  if  he  is  unhappy,  and  you  have 
been  shrewd  enough  to  find  it  out.  I  can't  see  your 
motive,  I  must  confess." 


42  UNDER  BLUE  SKIES. 

"  Why,  it  is  this,  Wallace,  for  no  other  reason  than  to 
teach  him  a  lesson.  He  had  no  business  marrying  such 
a  woman  ;  look  at  his  physique  and  then  at  this  '  willow- 
the-wisp.'  People  say  she  has  faded  ;  of  course  she  has, 
and  she  will  tire  him  to  death.  Men  are  fools  about  so 
many* things ;  and,  furthermore,  I  want  to  be  amused!" 
and  she  tapped  his  arm  with  her  beautifully  gloved  fingers. 
"  I  do  so  admire  this  young  man  who  carries  himself 
like  a  lord,  and  would  have  had  a  free  and  easy  life  if  he 
hand  not  done  the  foolish  thing  to  marry  a  girl  with 
no  body  and  but  very  few  brains." 

"  Don't  you  think,  Beatrice,  you  are  a  little  jealous  ? 
You  see,  it  is  like  this  :  there  arrives  at  our  hotel  another 
blonde,  and  the  only  beauty  which  is  rare  is  of  the  Orien 
tal  type,  and  that  is  Marian  Stanton's." 

Mrs.  Fay's  eyes  flashed  a  cold  glitter,  and  she  drew  a 
long  breath,  which  wound  up  with  the  exclamation, 
"  Ah  !"  which  meant  more  to  her  listener  than  a  long 
string  of  words.  Sir  Wallace  turned  in  his  seat  and 
caught  the  expression  in  her  eyes  ;  he  could  not  read 
her,  but  she  could  him.  "  What  are  you  thinking  of?  " 
he  asked  uneasily. 

"Just  this,  Sir  Wallace  ;  don't  you  make  the  mistake 
of  your  life  by  falling  in  love  with  Marian  Stanton." 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  " 

"  Oh,  you  Englishmen  think  the  world  was  made 
for  you — and  that  you  can  have  your  own  way,  but 
let  me  give  you  an  idea — I  have  no  selfish  motive 
either,  for  I  don't  want  to  marry  anyone.  A  woman 
who  has  any  wit,  and  money  enough  to  protect  her 
self  from  the  world,  and  has  been  married  once,  ought 


UNDER  BLUE  SKIES.  43 

to  know  better  than  play  that  comedy  over  again  ; 
but  you,  who  have  not  had  the  fetters  on,  are  no  doubt 
anxious  to  go  in  harness.  While  some  of  your  country 
men  from  abroad  think  they  have  a  soft  nest  in  marry 
ing  a  wealthy  American  lady,  they  are  far  from  knowing 
what  they  are  about;  especially,  when  they  marry  one 
with  the  peculiarities  of  Miss  Stanton  ;  she  knows  too 
much,  and  you  don't  know  enough, — begging  your  par 
don — to  manage  her  for  a  moment ;  she  is  one  of  those 
interior  persons,  that  knowledge  seems  to  come  to  by 
intuition  ;  and  if  she  should  be  unhappy  in  marriage, 
she  would  not  only  make  others  around  her  unhappy, 
but  she  would  actually  sour,  and  make  a  man's  life 
wretched  whom  she  once  distrusted.  You  know  you 
are  fond  of  society  and  its  intrigues  ;  the  world 
and  yourself  make  up  the  greater  part  of  your  existence, 
and  a  woman,  no  matter  how  beautiful,  would  soon  tire 
you  if  she  lived  a  life  apart  from  your  own  ideas  of  it. 
I  suppose  you  will  think  I  don't  like  her,  because  I  say 
this,  but  I  admire  her  more  than  any  other  lady  in 
the  hotel,  but  I  never  feel  like  lying  to  her  as  I  do  to 
the  others,  and  you  see  that  is  quite  a  new  sensation  for 
me." 

Sir  Wallace  bit  his  lip  and  pulled  his  moustache 
in  trying  to  control  his  anger;  for  the  sons  of  old 
England  don't  like  to  be  told  that  they  don't  know  all 
there  is  worth  knowing,  even  if  the  lady  is  very  sweet 
and  beautiful  who  imparts  the  knowledge  to  them  ;  he 
also  felt  disturbed  as  he  realized  how  little  hold  he  had 
upon  the  beautiful  woman  by  his  side.  How  blessed  is 
culture  !  how  refining  is  the  effect  of  a  life  of  wealth  and 


44  UNDER  BLUE  SKIES. 

comfort,  which  would  enable  one  to  rise  above  their 
surroundings,  and  master  the  difficulties  they  may  find 
themselves  in.  Both  of  these  persons  were  wealthy  ; 
one  had  no  heart  or  conscience  to  be  troubled  about,  the 
other  had  pride  and  education  enough  to  sustain  them 
anywhere. 

"Well!  let  us  turn  the  conversation,  Beatrice;  for 
by  Jove !  you've  thrown  a  dark  cloud  over  the  day, 
which  a  short  time  ago  seemed  bright  and  beautiful. 
I  don't  know  of  anything  now  but  a  good  dinner,  with 
a  bottle  of  Piper  Heidsick,  and  a  good  Havana  cigar,  to 
raise  my  spirits  to  where  they  were  a  short  time  ago, 
and  I  guess  we  will  dine  at  the  hotel  ahead  of  us, 
which  takes  in  just  such  wayfarers  as  we,  and  not  return 
to  the  hotel  in  town,  or  its  inmates.  Truly,  Beatrice — 
I  see  a  real  pucker  in  that  classic  brow  of  yours ; 
you  ought  to  know  by  this  time,  that  I  love  only  you, 
and  all  other  women  amount  to  but  little  in  my  estima 
tion." 

Mrs.  Fay  had  heard  such  talk  too  many  times,  not 
to  take  it  for  what  it  was  worth,  and  was  thoroughly 
convinced  in  her  own  mind,  that  Sir  Wallace  was  as 
much  in  love  as  it  was  possible  for  a  man  of  his  nature 
to  be,  and  with  none  other  than  Miss  Stanton ;  she — 
well,  to  give  her  own  inner  thought — she  would  amuse 
herself,  as  long  as  she  could  deceive  society ;  if  not 
deceive  this  decaying  institution,  at  least  not  meet 
with  its  condemnation  ;  she  must  have  a  system,  and 
over  her  wine  she  had  thought  out  the  entire  plan. 
First,  she  must  look  around  and  find  a  victim  to  call 
the  attention  of  the  world  to,  and  make  it  seem  that 


UNDER  BLUE  SKIES.  45 

they  were  doing  openly,  what  she  was  doing  secretly, 
and  with  this  legerdemain  trick  the  game  would  be  hers; 
slander  would  follow  of  course — she  knew  the  world 
well  enough  to  know  that — but  let  this  same  world  be 
smart  enough  to  find  out  who  was  to  blame. 


*  * 
* 


Aunt  Jerusha  was  as  good  as  her  word  and  sent  for 
Parson  Wilder.  On  the  day  of  his  arrival,  she  donned 
her  best  cap,  and  she  and  Mary  had  taken  care  that 
there  was  plenty  of  well  cooked  food  in  the  house ; 
for  while  Jerusha  had  respect  for  the  cloth,  she 
had  been  heard  to  say  that  ministers  were  like  other 
folks,  and  liked  good  victuals  as  well  as  the  poorest 
sinner,  although  she  felt  that  they  were  free  from 
many  of  the  grosser  sins  of  humanity  ;  but  she,  like 
many  others,  lived  to  learn  that  human  nature  was  about 
the  same,  be  it  priest  or  layman,  king  or  peasant.  This 
reverend  gentleman  enjoyed  going  out  occasionally  for 
a  good  afternoon's  visit,  if  he  was  quite  sure  in  his 
mind  that  he  would  not  be  interviewed  by  any  one  on  the 
knotty  points  of  theology.  This  invitation  from  Bur- 
leigh  Place,  would  have  pleased  him  not  a  little,  had  he 
not  been  somewhat  worried.  •  Jerusha  was  a  woman  of 
business  ;  was  he  getting  delinquent  in  his  orthodoxy  ? 
Or  was  the  church  slipping  behind  financially  ?  Any 
way,  he  must  go,  and  he  fortified  himself  by  putting  his 
snuff-box  into  his  pocket,  fully  determined  not  to  be 
made  so  uncomfortable  as  to  be  obliged  to  resort  to  it. 
But,  alas!  for  good  resolutions,  they  fail  the  high,  as 
well  as  the  low,  and  throw  one  out  of  gear  in  the  great 
moral  machinery  of  life — which  is  done  by  the  devil, 


46  UNDER  BLUE  SKIES. 

says  the  church,  but  by  a  lack  of  will,  says  the  humani 
tarian. 

"  How  do  you  do,  Elder  Wilder,"  and  the  hand  that 
grasped  his  actually  made  him  wince.  When  she  had 
seated  him  in  the  most  comfortable  chair  in  the  room, 
she  made  up  her  mind  he  best  stay  there  until  she  had 
settled  some  questions  upon  things  natural  and  super 
natural.  Why  did  her  sharp  grey  eyes  send  out  such 
an  electric  gleam  that  Parson  Wilder  could  only  think 
of  the  cats  that  witches  are  supposed  to  keep  by  them, 
and  of  things  uncanny?  Yes,  he  was  sure  that  he  was 
going  to  feel  uncomfortable,  and  he  almost  grasped  liis 
snuff-box,  a  true  friend  in  his  troubled  moments. 

"  Elder,  I  have  belonged  to  your  church  for  more 
than  forty  years  ;  I  mean  I  joined  the  church  long  before 
you  took  up  the  Lord's  work;  now,  I  want  you  to  tell  me 
the  reason  that  my  prayers  are  not  answered,  as,  according 
to  my  creed,  the  prayers  of  the  righteous  are  first  con 
sidered  by  the  Lord  of  hosts;  and,  furthermore  " — and  her 
sharp  fingers  seemed  to  point  directly  to  the  snuff-box, 
"Why  am  I,  or  this  household,  or  anyone  related  to  me, 
troubled  and  made  uncomfortable  at  unseasonable  hours 
by  the  devil  himself?" 

If  the  -Elder  had  taken  a  drop  from  the  church  steeple 
to  the  ground  below  he  would  not  have  felt  more  unset 
tled  or  broken  up — out  came  the  snuff-box.  Jerusha 
held  up  her  hands  in  horror  ;  her  back  stiffened  more 
rigidly  than  usual,  and  a  look  of  disgust  came  into  her 
face. 

"  Oh  !  you  take  that  filthy  stuff,  do  you  ?  Now,  just 
tell  me  what  for,  pray?" 


UNDER  BLUE  SKIES.  47 

"  Why — why — "  he  stammered  ;  "  I  actually  feel 
nervous  !" 

"  So  do  /  feel  nervous,  and  have  felt  nervous  many 
times  in  my  life  ;  but  I  have  found  out  that  we  women 
are  expected  by  men  to  manage  our  nerves  without  the 
aid  of  stimulants." 

"But,  madam,  you  have  your  tea!"  and  he  tapped 
the  lid  of  the  silver-mounted  box  with  emphasis.  "We 
ministers  can't  go  around  the  parish  with  a  teapot  in  our 
pocket." 

Jerusha  knew  that  if  she  argued  the  subject,  she 
could  get  the  best  of  him,  but  she  concluded  to  drop  it, 
and  proceed  to  business.  She  graphically  detailed  to 
him  the  events  with  which  our  readers  are  already 
familiar,  and  wound  up  by  saying  :  "  Now,  what  are  we 
to  do  about  it?" 

Preachers,  when  driven  into  a  corner,  many  times 
find  it  easiest  to  turn  and  run,  and  not  argue  the  ques 
tion  ;  but  no  such  escape  for  this  poor  man,  with  Jeru- 
sha's  sharp  eye  upon  him.  "Well,"  said  he,  deliber 
ately,  after  taking  a  large  pinch  of  snuff;  "  let  us  read 
the  letter  first,  and  then  we  shall  know  how  to  pray 
afterwards." 

"  Read  the  letter!"  exclaimed  Jerusha;  "  why,  what 
are  you  talking  about?  Don't  you  know  that  the  Bible 
strictly  forbids  Christians  holding  any  communications 
with  the  Prince  of  Darkness  ?" 

"Yes,  madam  ;  but  this  may  not  be  the  devil  himself 
but  the  imagination  of  a  poor,  deluded  child,  who  does 
not  understand  all  the  faculties  of  the  human  mind." 

"Do  I  look  like  a  child,  Elder  Wilder?  or  am  I  in 


48  UNDER  BLUE  AAV/i.S. 

my  second  childhood?  I  think  not!"  And  as  she 
arose  from  her  chair,  her  tall,  majestic  form  seemed  like 
some  grand  old  oak.  Elder  Wilder  felt  himself  grow 
smaller  as  her  keen,  penetrating  eyes  looked  into  his. 
41 1  heard  those  raps  myself,  when  Amelia  was  not  near 
the  bedstead,  or  any  piece  of  furniture  !  But  if  your 
curiosity  is  so  strong,  I  will  go  and  get  the  writing,  as  I 
presume  she  didn't  burn  it,  as  I  told  her  to  do." 

A  queer  smile  stole  over  the  face  of  the  minister  at 
the  word  "  curiosity,"  as  he  divined  that  Jerusha  her 
self  had  a  little  curiosity  to  see  the  contents  of  that 
letter. 

When  it  was  placed  in  the  minister's  hands,  Jerusha 
sat  back  in  her  chair  with  a  determined  look  on  her 
face,  that  she  \vould  not  give  way  to  her  emotions,  or  be 
deceived  by  any  false  reasoning.  The  letter  was  not 
very  remarkable,  but  was  most  natural,  as  if  the  person 
had  been  in  the  body.  It  simply  asked  her  to  buy  a 
cottege  near  Burleigh  Place  with  the  money  she  had 
deposited  in  the  bank,  giving  the  amount,  saying  that  his 
wife  was  unhappy  in  the  home  where  she  was,  and  the 
time  would  come  when  all  three  would  need  a  home, 
and  she  would  not  regret  the  investment,  signing  his  name 
as  her  brother,  who  still  watched  over  her  and  was 
near  her. 

Were  there  springs  in  Jerusha's  chair?  She  had 
started  up  as  if  bitten  by  an  adder.  "What  did  you 
read,  Elder  Wilder?  Four  thousand  and  five  hundred 
dollars  and  fifty-three  cents  in  the  bank  !  Who  told 
that  girl  of  that?  Oh,  I  am  beside  myself!"  and  she 
walked  excitedly  to  and  fro.  '4  It  is  no  devil  or  spirits 


UNDER  BLUE  SKIES.  49 

that's  doing  this  ;  it's  just  the  weakness  of  men — those 
bank  clerks.  There  is  no  doubt  Amelia's  mother  has 
worked  upon  her  feelings,  and  made  her  think  she  was 
unhappy,  and  made  her  pry  into  this  matter." 

Elder  Wilder  was  not  a  little  astonished  himself, 
for  when  they  were  shingling  over  the  church,  Jerusha 
had  refused  to  help  any,  saying  that  she  had  not 
laid  by  what  she  ought  to  have  done,  and  as  old  age 
approached  she  would  have  no  home  to  shingle. 
"  Have  you  got  that  amount  of  money,  Miss  Bigelow?  " 
inquired  the  Elder,  sternly. 

Jerusha  saw  what  he  was  driving  at,  and  instantly 
shingles  came  up  before  her  like  flames  of  fire  "  Why, 
no;  of  course  not,"  she  answered. 

"Sister  B.,  you  must  not  deny  what  you  have  in  an 
unguarded  moment  already  admitted.  I  will  go  home 
and  pray  for  you,  that  your  soul  may  be  freed  from  the 
sin  of  covetousness  of  worldly  goods,  and  I  pray  that 
you  will  bow  meekly  to  the  punishment  the  Lord  has 
sent  through  this  child  to  purify  your  soul,  and  that 
henceforth  you  may  not  keep  to  yourself  what  belongs 
to  the  Lord  God  of  hosts." 

And  without  further  delay  he  donned  his  warm  coat, 
replaced  the  snuff-box,  and  as  the  door  closed  behind 
him,  Jerusha  sat  down  heavily,  as  was  her  custom,  in 
the  middle  of  the  room  to  commune  with  herself.  If 
more  people  would  do  this,  perhaps  many  things  which 
go  wrong  could  be  righted  ;  for  conscience,  that  tor 
menting  angel,  sits  at  the  door  of  the  soul,  and  will  not 
allow  other  guests  to  enter  until  peace  is  restored  in  the 
household  ;  for  anger  rose  up  in  Jerusha's  mind  at  the 


50  UNDER  BLUE  SKIES. 

minister's  rebuke.  She,  a  sinner  !  She,  a  liar  !  She,  to  be 
prayed  for !  Well,  that  was  taking  a  very  different 
turn  in  the  road,  than  she  had  first  thought  when  she 
started  out  on  this  journey  of  investigation. 

"Amelia!  "  and  once  again  her  sharp  voice  sounded 
through  those  spacious  halls.  She  was  angry  at  the 
cause  of  so  much  mischief,  and  she  was  angry  with 
herself;  and,  as  the  beautiful  child,  for  she  seemed 
but  a  child,  tripped  down  the  stairs,  it  was  a  stern  face 
that  greeted  her.  "  I  am  going  out,"  and  the  acid  in 
her  voice  would  have  turned  sweet  milk  to  sour;  "  I 
want  that  large,  blue  cotton  umbrella,  that  I  put  away 
in  the  attic  closet  last  fall  ;  none  other  will  do  this 
afternoon  for  me." 

"Why,  it  don't  storm,  Aunt  Jerusha,"  said  Amelia. 

"  Never  mind  about  that  ;  there  are  storms  in 
folks'  minds,  and  I  can  tell  you  there  is  one 
brewing  now.  When  persons  pry  into  things  they 
have  no  business  to  know,  it  ought  to  rain,  and  hail, 
and  blow  ;  in  fact,  a  flood  ought  to  come  as  it  did 
in  Bible  times,  and  sweep  every  one  off."  And  she 
looked  sharp  at  Amelia,  but  the  latter  did  not  seem  to 
understand  the  drift  of  her  words,  so  Jerusha  decided  to 
drop  the  subject  then,  and  while  Amelia  was  after  the 
umbrella  she  put  on  her  shawl  and  bonnet,  and  when 
she  returned  she  took  it  from  her  as  she  would  a  gun 
and  marched  away,  much  to  the  astonishment  of  Mary 
and  Sam,  as  they  watched  her  retreating  form  from  the 
kitchen  window. 

"I  should  think,"  drawled  Sam,  "by  the  looks  of 
Miss  Bigelow's  face,  there'd  be  a  building  blown  up 


UNDER  BLUE  SKIES.  51 

before  night,  and  /  should  know  who  did  the  deed." 
It  was  a  singular  influence  that  this  New  England  old 
maid  had  upon  the  minds  of  the  young  around  her;  it 
sharpened  their  wits  more  than  any  schooling  would 
have  done,  and  it  is  a  character  that  we  see  less  and 
less,  as  the  improvements  advance  and  city  and  country 
become  more  united. 

Jerusha  proceeded  to  the  village  and  went  at  once  to 
the  bank.  The  '.treasurer  and  book  keeper  were  busy. 
Why  cannot  the  nervous  system  become  so  sensitive 
that  when  the  mind  of  man  receives  a  shock  from  the 
world  of  matter,  the  soul  be  on  guard  to  at  least  fore 
warn  the  mind  and  thus  be  fore-armed  ?  But  no  good 
angel  spoke  to  these  two  unsuspecting  men  of  the  storm 
that  was  approaching.  The  first  they  heard  were  the 
following  words,  loud  and  clear:  "Young  man,  how 
dare  you  tell  my  niece,  Amelia  Bigelow,  how  much 
money  I  had  in  this  bank?"  and  Jerusha  brought  the 
umbrella  down  on  the  floor  with  a  bang,  and  shook 
her  bony  hand  through  the  window  into  the  face  of  the 
object  of  her  wrath — and  if  ever  he  was  glad  that  there 
was  an  obstruction  between  him  and  the  depositors  it 
was  at  this  very  moment. 

"Why,  Madam— I— I " 

"  Don't  you  deny  it.  I  tell  you,  you  have  ! — or  some 
one  has.  I  have  no  confidence  in  a  man,  where  there 
is  a  pretty  girl,  with  curls  and  red  cheeks,  in  the  case," 
and  bang,  bang,  went  the  umbrella  on  the  floor. 

The  bookkeeper,  who  was  not  taken  so  much  by  sur 
prise  as  the  treasurer,  but  felt  deeply  insulted  on  behalf 
of  the  bank,  sprang  from  his  seat  and  came  to  the  win- 


52  UNDER  BLUE  SKIES. 

dow.  "  Miss  Bigelow,  you  are  beside  yourself.  There 
is  no  one  connected  with  this  bank  who  has  any  object 
in  satisfying  the  curiosity  of  anyone  in  regard  to  the 
affairs  of  the  depositors,  and  it  is  also  strictly  against 
the  rules." 

"  Of  course  it  is,"  said  she ;  but  I  am  not  going  to  be 
put  down  by  this  argument.  You  told  her  even  to  the 
number  of  cents.  O  good  Lord,  and  good  devil !  to 
think  that  I  would  have  lived  to  feel  I  couldn't  trust  a 
living  soul  with  anything." 

By  this  time  the  treasurer  had  got  wrought  up  to  a 
high  pitch  of  anger,  and  hot  words  followed,  when  Presi 
dent  Hatch  entered  the  bank.  He  was  formerly  the 
deacon  in  Jerusha's  Church  and  a  good  sensible  man, 
calm  and  collected, and  had  great  admiration  for  Jerusha's 
financial  ability.  He  was  much  astonished,  and  tried  to 
find  out  the  cause  of  the  trouble,  but  as  both  sides 
insisted  upon  talking  at  the  same  time  it  was  impossible 
to  get  any  idea  of  it,  and  he  asked  her  politely  to 
walk  into  his  private  office.  Jerusha  got  quieted  down 
and  stated  the  case  ;  that  the  knowledge  of  how  much 
money  she  had  in  the  bank  had  reached  her  niece's 
ears,  and  she  was  bound  to  find  out  the  offender.  In 
her  excitement  she  mentioned  the  letter  which  she  did 
not  intend  to  do  at  first. 

President  Hatch  was  a  man  who  reasoned  from  cause 
to  effect ;  he  was  a  man  who  wanted  to  know  the  laws 
which  govern  life  ;  and  it  was  with  a  great  deal  of  patience 
that  he  got  at  the  true  cause  of  Jerusha's  troubles. 
"Why,  Miss  Bigelow,  it  is  simply  spirit  phenomena 
that  you  have  witnessed  ;  there  is  nothing  about  the 


UNDER  BLUE  SKIES,  53 

matter  that  need  worry  you.  I  can  assure  you  that  no 
officer  in  this  bank  gave  any  information  to  your  niece, 
but  I  believe  some  spirit,  which  no  doubt  was  your 
brother,  gave  her  the  information.  You  know  we  can 
not  lock  spirits  out  of  the  bank,  and  there  is  a  great  deal 
about  the  occult  side  of  life  that  we  mortals  have  to  learn, 
and  I  have  given  much  time  and  study  to  the  subject;" 
and  a  look  of  inspiration  seemed  to  sweep  over  his  placid 
face.  "  Why,  when  in  New  York  last  Fall,  Miss  Bige- 
low,  I  visited  a  medium  and  saw  my  own  darling  child 
Nellie,  face  to  face;  you  know  she  was  all  we  had,  and 
when  we  lost  her  two  years  ago,  all  happiness  ended  for 
my  wife  and  me,"  and  the  man  of  dollars  and  figures 
wiped  away  the  fast  gathering  tears. 

Jerusha  looked  at  him  in  the  utmost  astonishment,  and 
she  was  heard  to  say  later  that  she  felt  as  if  she  had 
swallowed  something,  and  it  had  gone  down  the  wrong 
way,  and  she  knew  she  would  never  have  got  possession 
of  her  mind  if  she  hadn't  looked  steadily  at  the  blue  cot 
ton  umbrella.  "Can  you  set  there,  Deacon  Hatch,  or 
once  Deacon  of  the  Orthodox  Church,  and  tell  me  that 
you  went  to  New  York  and  had  a  sitting  with  the  prince 
of  darkness  ?  I  think  you  better  give  me  my  money  at 
once,  for  it  is  not  safe  in  a  bank  where  the  president  is 
becoming  crazy,  or  a  soft-brained  spiritualist." 

"  My  dear,  Miss  Bigelow,  just  be  quiet,  and  let  us,  as 
St.  Paul  said,  '  reason  together.'  It  is  my  opinion  that 
you  had  best  do  as  your  brother  has  advised  you  to  do  ; — 
take  the  money  from  the  bank  and  buy  a  home  which  will 
give  protection  to  one  unprotected  woman,  and  may  be 
a  shelter  for  two  others  later." 


54  UNDER  BLUE  SKIES. 

11 1  shan't  take  it  for  any  such  reason,  President  Hatch, 
but  because  I  find  it  is  not  safe  here  ;"  and  she  did  not 
deign  to  talk  any  more,  but  watched  carefully  while  they 
counted  out  the  money,  and  felt  relieved  when  she  heard 
the  snap  of  the  old-fashioned  hand-bag  and  turned  on 

her  heel  and  started  howewards. 

*  * 
* 

Looking  at  life  from  a  superficial  standpoint  it  does 
not  seem  possible  that  there  could  be  many  radical 
changes  among  a  class  of  people  who  command  both 
influence  and  money,  but  as  one  of  our  writers  has  aptly 
expressed  this  truth,  it  will  bear  repeating:  "There  is 
nothing  half  so  certain  as  the  certainty  of  change." 

George  Burleigh  was  a  man  who  never  did  anything 
by  halves;  if  he  drank  from  the  cup  of  physical  pleasure, 
he  drained  it  to  its  dregs,  and  if  from  the  cup  of  sorrow  it 
was  the  same.  This  insatiate  thirst  for  the  extremes  of 
life  is  only  found  among  a  highly  emotional  class  of  per 
sons,  who  could  be  compared  to  a  grand  piano,  struck  by 
the  outside  hand  of  fate  until  every  tone  and  halftone  is 
touched,  until  the  whole  scale  of  their  being  is  reached, 
whether  it  brings  harmony  or  inharmony  into  their  lives. 
He  was  fast  becoming  entangled  in  a  golden  web  of  fate, 
that  like  many  men  before  him,  and  since,  will  find  that 
the  warp  and  woof  is  made  of  a  woman's  hair,  which  can 
be  formed  into  a  strong  rope  used  by  the  hangman  of 
conscience  to  end  that  man's  moral  career. 

Beatrice  Fay  was  amused, — more  than  pleased  with 
her  few  months'  venture  in  the  hazy  labyrinth  of  intrigue. 
"  Just  think  of  it !"'  she  would  say  to  herself,  "  a  '  liason  ' 
right  under  the  aristocratic  nose  of  society ;  and  it  is 


UNDER  BLUE  SKIES.  55 

making  the  great  mistake  of  watching  a  lone  widow, 
whose  heart  is  doubtless  like  a  snowflake,  and  forgetting 
the  woman  who  has  no  heart  at  all."  And  Mrs.  Fay 
would  laugh  until  she  would  think  suddenly  of  wrinkles, 
when  she  would  stop  like  a  steel  trap  with  a  spring,  for 
a  wise  woman  of  fashion  had  once  told  her,  years  ago, 
that  emotions  of  all  kinds  formed  those  dreadful  crow- 
tracks  around  the  eyes,  and  laughter,  more  than  sorrow, 
ploughed  those  deep  lines  around  the  mouth  ;  a  woman 
of  renowned  beauty  like  her's  must  be  a  slave  to  its 
preservation,  and  fame  is  not  any  harder  to  sustain  than 
notoriety  of  beauty  when  it  is  once  established  in  the 
minds  of  the  people. 

The  autumn  had  passed  by,  and  now  it  is  Christmas 
eve,  and  Mrs.  Dumont  Hale  had  conceived  an  idea. 
That  was  a  rare  thing  for  her,  or  any  one  in  her  circle, 
for  ideas  were  hard,  perplexing  things,  only  fit  for  men 
of  business  and  the  working  classes  ;  but  this  dear  old 
lady  had  one  flash  into  her  mind  as  she  was  passing  an 
art  store  on  one  of  the  crowded  thoroughfares,  and  saw 
that  a  great  sale  was  taking  place  of  some  famous  paint 
ings  by  some  foreign  artists.  Ah,  yes,  she  would  go  in 
and  buy  Beatrice  Fay  a  Christmas  present.  Not  that  she 
was  so  very  fond  of  her,  but  she  admired  her  sincerely, 
and  unless  she  was  near  this  capricious  beauty,  as  a 
friend,  she  could  not  draw  around  her  the  class  of 
gentlemen  she  desired  to  attract ;  for  there  are  both 
men  and  women  who  have  said  good-bye  to  sixty  and 
even  seventy  who  cannot  forget  the  habits  of  their 
youth,  of  coquetting  with  the  opposite  sex. 

Mrs.  Hale  was  somewhat  of  a   critic  of  art ;  she  had 


56  UNDER  BLUE  SKIES. 

lived  in  her  younger  days  with  an  uncle  in  New  York, 
who  was  a  fine  painter,  and  he  had  talked  so  much 
about  the  strong  features  in  his  profession,  that  she  used 
to  say  to  her  friends  that  she  had  got  that  art  down  to  a 
fine  point.  As  her  eyes  ran  over  the  paintings,  through 
that  very  clear  glass  that  she  held  daintily  in  her  hand — 
for  this  lady  did  not  wear  glasses  all  the  time  ;  she  said 
she  would  rather  make  a  few  mistakes  in  vision  than 
look  hideous  to  her  friends — she  stopped  suddenly 
before  one  of  the  pictures,  with  an  exclamation  :  "  Why, 
if  that  don't  look  like  Beatrice  herself! "  she  said  to  her 
lady  companion,  who  was  too  weary  to  even  turn  around, 
but  looked  at  a  painting  exactly  opposite ;  "  why,  I 
mean  the  one  with  the  lady  in  the  gondolier !  I  do 
wish  I  could  see  the  gentleman's  face ;  yes,  it  is  a  strik 
ing  resemblance — younger  and  prettier,  of  course — but 
that  rope  of  blue  flowers  the  lady  is  trailing  in  the 
water — it  makes  one  feel  so  romantic.  What  is  the  name 
in  the  catalogue,  and  who  painted  it  ?"  she  asked  of  the 
obliging  clerk. 

"Ah!  yes;  here  it  is — 'Under  Blue  Skies/  by  J. 
Jerome  Montaigne,  famous  in  his  day — died  in  Italy. 
There  is  quite  a  story  connected  with  this  painting. 
The  artist  gave  it  to  a  friend,  a  nobleman,  who  was 
obliged  to  sell  his  pictures  to  pay  his  debts  ;  the  scene 
is  in  Italy  ;  the  classic  face  of  the  beautiful  lady,  the  blue 
sky,  water  and  flowers,  so  remind  one  of  summer,  that 
in  Boston,  where  we  have  so  many  windy  days  and  so 
much  disagreeable  weather,  it  seems  a  rare  treat  to  look 
upon  a  scene  like  this."  The  price  was  agreed  upon,  and 
Mrs.  Dumont  Hale  took  her  carriage  home,  feeling  she 


UNDER  BLUE  SKIES.  57 

knew  a  good  thing  when  she  saw  it ;  and  she  would 
that  very  night  have  Mrs.  Fay's  maid  hang  it  up,  so  that 
on  the  following  morning  when  the  Christmas  bells 
were  chiming,  beautiful  Beatrice's  eyes  would  look  upon 
a  fair  scene,  no  matter  what  the  weather  was  outside. 

Alas  !  why  is  it  that  some  of  our  best  intentions  mis 
carry  ?  What  we  are  doing  for  another's  pleasure  may  not 
only  give  them  pain,  but  place  them  in  an  embarrassing 
position.  Beatrice  Fay  was  sleeping  later  than  usual  this 
Christmas  morning.  She  had  awakened  early,  but  could 
not  arouse  herself  sufficiently  to  arise,  and  once  more 
fell  back  into  dreamland — and  what  a  vivid  dream  it  was  ! 
She  was  once  more  in  her  girlhood,  traveling  in  Italy, 
and  once  more  she  heard  the  low  baritone  voice  of  her 
gifted  lover,  as  he  sang  those  old  love  songs  under  the 
blue  sky  of  that  glorious  summer  day,  as  they  gilded 
over  the  blue  waters  together.  He  was  poor  put  gifted, 
and  she  remembered  even  in  this  dream  how  her  mer 
cenary  nature  was  too  strong  to  love  this  man,  for  she 
believed  then,  as  she  did  to-day,  that  the  greatest  mis 
take  of  God  or  nature  was  to  combine  gifts  with 
poverty.  It  is  not  in  dreamland  alone,  or  in  one  selfish 
woman's  mind,  that  one  sees  the  power  of  the  intellect, 
and  the  advantage  it  has  of  raising  one  above  the 
masses  ;  but  such  a  person  without  money  is  like  a 
diamond  coveted,  but  not  to  be  worn  ;  once  more  she 
seemed  to  realize  the  power  of  this  artist's  soul,  and  his 
love  for  her,  and  the  little  that  she  could  give  in  return ; 
she- heard  his  voice  calling  her,  as  he  was  wont  to  :  "  Ice, 
Ice,  where  are  you  ?"  as  his  life  seemed  to  burn  brightly 
and  wear  itself  out  with  its  intensity.  There  was  some 


58  UNDER  BLUE  SKIES. 

strange  attraction  that  bound  him  to  this  cold  American 
girl  that  made  her  more  to  him  than  all  the  world  beside. 

And  while  this  beautiful  woman  of  the  world  is  in  the 
land  of  dreams,  let  us  glance  over  the  ending  of  this 
brilliant  life.  Of  course,  it  is  the  old  story,  that  he 
parted  from  the  woman  that  he  loved,  married  another 
exactly  opposite  in  temperament,  and  only  lived  long 
enough  to  bless  the  little  daughter  and  consign  his  heart 
broken  wife  to  the  care  of  his  uncle  in  England.  He 
went  out  of  the  life  material,  which  he  had  outgrown, 
into  the  life  spiritual,  that  land  of  souls,  where  his  aspi 
rations  and  desires  were  not  clogged  by  matter  or 
circumstances,  but  could  move  on  in  the  ocean  of 
spirituality,  until  he  would  attain  all  that  was  possible 
for  the  perfection  of  mankind. 

Beatrice  Fay  opened  those  cold  blue  eyes  this  Christ 
mas  morning  and  glanced  around  the  room.  How  cozy 
and  warm  it  looked.  Her  maid  had  just  placed  the  love 
liest  bouquet  of  flowers,  from  some  gentleman  friend, 
near  her,  and  the  open  grate  with  fire  burning  so  brightly 
seemed  to  sparkle  like  diamonds;  her  satin  slippers  of 
palest  blue  were  placed  ready  on  the  fur  rug,  and  you 
would  know  by  their  high  arched  insteps,  of  the  spirit  of 
the  wearer  ;  the  morning  wrap  was  not  made  any  more 
for  beauty  than  it  was  for  comfort  and  the  ample  folds 
of  skirt  and  sleeves  could  be  wound  around  the  willowy 
form  of  its  wearer  and  be  pinned  here  and  there  with  its 
diamond  shield  pins,  making  it  fit  to  perfection.  She 
started  upright  with  an  exclamation  of  astonishment  as 
she  perceived  the  scene  she  had  just  been  dreaming 
about,  painted  and  hung  upon  the  wall.  As  she  sprang 


UNDER  BLUE  SKIES.  59 

from  her  bed  and  stood  before  it  in  her  white,  downy 
robe,  as  pure  as  the  snows  of  winter,  she  looked  like 
some  fair  angel  who  had  strayed  by  chance  into  this 
wicked  world  of  ours,  and  was  not  at  home  here ;  but 
this  fair  woman  was  like  many  a  production  of  life — that 
has  an  appearance  only  and  no  substance.  "  Jeannette, 
come  here,  and  tell  me  where  that  painting  came  from  !" 

The  maid,  taken  entirely  by  surprise,  dropped  the  wrap 
she  was  warming  and  hastened  to  her  side.  "It  is  a 
Christmas  gift  from  Mrs.  Dumont  Hale.  That  is  her 
card  attached  to  it !" 

"  Oh,  that  sly  old  cat !"  said  Mrs.  Fay  in  an  irritated 
tone;  then  seeing  the  look  of  astonishment  on  the  maid's 
face,  she  at  once  remedied  her  mistake.  "She  is  a 

lovely  lady  and  did  this  as  a  surprise  for  me,  but " 

and  she  stopped,  for  her  knowledge  of  life  had  taught 
her  that  she  must  not  reveal  the  feelings  of  her  heart  to 
anyone,  much  less  to  a  servant.  To  not  be  on  guard  in 
society  is  as  dangerous  as  not  to  be  at  one's  post  in  an 
army,  for  society  is  a  battle,  and  one's  place  therein  is 
more  by  adroitness  than  by  strength.  The  dream  and 
the  painting  had  awakened  memories  of  long  ago,  and 
had  brought  her  face  to  face  with  one  of  the  occult  laws 
of  life,  for  surely  that  beautiful  gift  might  have  produced 
a  beautiful  dream,  and  why?  Ah  !  Mrs.  Fay,  and  all 
like  followers  in  this  train  of  thought,  when  you  begin  to 
ask  the  question  why,  you  begin  to  grow  mentally,  and 
when  you  attain  the  proper  height,  the  swaddling  clothes 
of  society  won't  fit  you  ;  so  take  my  advice,  if  you  want 
to  be  easy  and  at  home  in  that  sphere  of  existence,  do 
not  ask  too  many  questions  about  the  spiritual  laws  of 


60  UNDER  BLUE  SKIES. 

the  universe.  Soon  after  the  breakfast  hour,  the  two 
ladies  met,  and  what  could  Mrs.  Fay  say  but  "  My  dear 
Mrs.  Hale,  what  a  lovely  gift  you  have  presented  to  me  ! 
Who  was  the  artist  ?" 

"Oh,  dear,  I  have  forgotten!  it  is  Montgomery,  or 
Montague,  or  something.  I  think  you  will  find  it  down 
in  the  corner  of  the  picture  ;  they  always  put  them  there, 
and  such  a  beautiful  story  went  with  it — I  have  forgotten 
it ;  I  ought  to  have  written  it  down — but  I  bought  it, 
Beatrice,  because  it  looked  like  you,  or  as  you  looked  fif 
teen  years  ago,  but  women  change  so  as  they  grow  older. 
They  get  yellow  and  wrinkled,  with  no  expression  !" 

Ah,  what  stabs  these  dear  ladies  can  give  one  another 
in  society,  but  Mrs.  Fay,  more  shrewd  than  her  sisters  in 
this  shining  path  of  life,  always  turned  a  sharp  thrust, 
like  the  one  just  received,  by  a  compliment  to  the  one 
who  gave  it,  thus  gaining  an  advantage  over  them.  "  My 
dear  Mrs.  Hale,  if  I  carry  my  years  as  gracefully  as 
you  do  I  shall  be  satisfied,  for  you  are  like  rare  old  wine — 
vastly  improved  by  age."  And  with  a  "  thank  you  "  and 
a  playful  tap  with  her  fingers  upon  the  fat  hand  of  the 
old  lady,  she  slipped  out  of  the  room,  leaving  Mrs.  Hale 
quite  happy  in  the  knowledge  that  she  had  mellowed  and 
ripened  as  the  years  had  passed  by  ;  and  with  a  girlish 
simper  she  thought  to  herself  that  a  suitor  would  be  just 
as  ready  to  pluck  an  apple  if  it  looked  sound,  even  if  it 
was  ready  to  drop  with  decay.  Beatrice  Fay  had  done 
a  good  thing  on  this  Christmas  morning,  for  she  had  made 
a  woman  of  society  feel  young  again,  and  Mrs.  Hale  did 
not  regret  the  good  round  sum  she  had  paid  for  the 
painting. 


UNDER  BLUE  SKIES.  61 

The  inmates  of  this  fashionable  hotel  did  not  progress 
very  rapidly  in  gaining  a  history  of  the  widow  with 
the  little  girl ;  they  simply  read  upon  the  hotel  register 
the  name  of  Mrs.  Montaigne  and  daughter  of  Boston, 
and  it  was  rumored  that  her  correspondence  bore  a 
foreign  postmark,  but  that  did  not  throw  much  light 
upon  the  case.  The  little  girl  was  a  most  remarkable 
child  ;  old  for  her  years,  and  of  a  beauty  that  was  mar 
vellous  ;  her  hair  was  a  brilliant  gold,  her  eyes  a  dark 
brown,  a  complexion  fair  but  pale,  her  features  delicate, 
but  a  body  as  strong  as  a  boy's.  She  was  all  expression  ; 
mind,  soul  and  body,  the  perfect  trinity  of  life,  were 
in  perfect  harmony  in  her  organization;  she  never  ate, 
slept  or  lived  like  other  children,  but  seemed  to  be  con 
trolled  by  a  higher  set  of  laws.  The  one  great  law  of 
her  being  was  that  of  selection  ;  she  ate  only  what  her 
nature  craved  and  demanded,  and  when  she  could  not 
obtain  easily  what  she  desired,  she  would  say  to  her 
mamma  that  she  could  live  on  air  until  she  could  get 
some  life-food,  and  what  she  meant  by  this  was  'the 
strongest  elements  she  could  extract  from  fruit,  vege 
tables  and  animal  life,  and  she  looked  upon  other  chil 
dren  with  astonishment  who  ate  rich  delicacies  and 
sweetmeats,  which  she  said  drove  the  fairies  away  and 
gave  them  only  bad  dreams.  Everyone  loved  her,  but 
she  was  very  shy  of  some  strangers,  and  no  amount  of 
coaxing  would  win  her  to  them  if  she  felt  repelled,  but 
she  would  never  make  them  feel  uncomfortable  about  it, 
but  would  get  away  with  some  excuse,  and  say  to  her 
mother  in  confidence,  -'that  those  people  gave  her  the 
shivers,  and  if  they  touched  her  she  might  fall  down  in 


62  UNDER  BLUE  SKIES. 

a  fit."  She  had  but  little  conception  of  names ;  it  was 
only  ideas  that  affected  her  memory.  She  was  so 
unlike  those  disagreeable  children  one  often  sees  at 
hotels,  who  never  know  when  they  are  wanted,  that  they 
used  to  give  her  the  name  "  Queen  of  the  Fairies,"  as 
she  had  the  faculty  of  disappearing,  and  at  the  right 
time.  Her  remarks  were  always  a  pleasure  and  a  sur 
prise,  because  they  were  so  original,  without  being 
pointed.  We  have  been  told  that  bright  children  were 
born  to  die  young ;  but  Mrs.  Montaigne  believed  so 
thoroughly  in  the  laws  of  nature  and  perfect  freedom 
for  children,  that  she  allowed  her  to  grow  up  healthy ; 
something  that  mothers  fail  to  do  at  the  present  day. 
While  she  was  the  idol  of  this  woman's  heart,  her  love 
was  not  a  selfish  one  that  could  not  take  in  the  entire 
individuality  of  her  child.  She  never  forced  Flossie 
against  a  natural  prompting  of  her  nature.  If  she 
wished  to  go  with  bare  feet  along  the  sands  at  the  sea 
side,  she  realized  that  there  might  be  some  demand  of 
the  body  to  draw  strength  from  the  earth  ;  or  if  she 
wished  to  sit  down  with  grown  people  and  learn  the 
truths  of  life,  she  allowed  her  to  do  so,  knowing  that 
these  truths  must  be  mastered  sometime,  and  could  not 
be  learned  too  young. 

Of  course,  such  a  bright  child,  who  was  never  checked 
by  ignorance,  was  quick  to  observe  all  that  was  going  on 
around  her,  and  it  was  not  long  before  she  discovered 
that  there  was  no  sympathy  or  love  between  her  mamma 
and  Mrs.  Fay.  This  troubled  her,  for  she  wanted  to 
know  the  reason  why.  One  evening  as  the  parlor 
seemed  deserted  and  Flossie  noticed  Mrs.  Fay  stray 


UNDER  BLUE  SKIES.  63 

into  the  room  for  a  forgotten  sheet  of  music,  she  stepped 
to  her  side  and  raised  those  glorious  brown  eyes  and 
looked  fearlessly  into  the  blue  ones  of  the  lady  who 
was  leaning  gracefully  against  the  grand  piano.  "  Mrs. 

,  Mrs. ,"  but  alas  !  Flossie  could  not  think  of 

the  name — but  she  had  an  idea  of  the  woman's  nature, 
and  that  would  have  to  serve  her  now — "  Mrs.  Ice,  what 
makes  you  dislike  my  mamma?" 

Mrs.  Fay  turned  as  if  some  one  had  struck  her  with  a 
whip  ;  only  one  person  had  ever  called  her  "  Ice  "  before, 
and  that  person  was  dead.  "  What  makes  you  think  I 
do  not  like  your  mamma  ?  "  she  asked  sharply,  "  and 
why  do  you  call  me  '  Ice '  ?  " 

"  Oh,  I  see  it  in  your  eyes,  and  I  feel  it  when  mamma 
comes  into  the  parlor,  that  you  do  not  like  her  ;  and 
why  I  call  you  '  Ice '  is  because  you  are  so  smooth,  and 
white,  and  cold,  and  so  slippery !  " 

"  Ha-ha-ha,"  laughed  a  voice  at  the  open  doorway, 
and  both  child  and  woman  turned  hastily  around  and 
encountered  Sir  Wallace  Reynolds  and  George  Bur- 
leigh,  the  latter  much  the  worse  from  drinking  too  much 
wine.  "  Ah,  that's  a  good  name  for  you,  Beatrice — slip 
pery"  said  Sir  Wallace.  "Lots  of  men  have  slipped 
up  on  your  cold  heart ;  my  companion  here,  don't  seem 
able  to  hold  equilibrium  on  account  of  you  ;  but — Flos 
sie,  your  mamma  will  be  looking  for  you,  so  run  away 
quick."  The  child  was  very  fond  of  George  Burleigh; 
and  even  in  this  roue  at  times,  his  good  heart  would  assert 
itself,  and  he  did  not  wish  to  shock  the  child  by  allowing 
her  to  see  the  condition  of  her  friend. 

"  Why,   Sir   Wallace    Reynolds !    look,    that    man  is 


64  UNDER  BLUE  SKIES. 

positively  intoxicated,  and  he  is  going  to  sleep  there  on 
the  sofa.  What  made  you  bring  him  in  here?  " 

"  Well,  to  tell  the  truth  Beatrice,  I  had  no  idea  he 
was  so  far  gone,  until  I  got  him  into  that  hot  office 
down  below.  You  see  he  lost  heavily  at  play,  drank 
too  much,  and,  by  Jove!  I  don't  believe  in  leaving  a  friend 
in  the  lurch,  so  I  got  him  home  soon  as  possible." 

"  What  will  you  do  with  him  now?"  asked  Mrs.  Fay 
in  freezing  tones.  "Take  him  up  to  that  baby  wife  of 
his  and  have  a  domestic  scene  here  in  the  hotel  for 
excitement?  "  and  with  a  scornful  laugh,  she  was  about 
to  beat  a  hasty  retreat,,  when  she  was  stopped  by  the 
strong  hand  of  her  former  lover. 

"Look  here,  Beatrice;  his  condition  originates  from 
your  own  slippery  nature ;  Flossie  delineated  your 
character  right — cold,  hard  and  slippery  as  ice — 
just  the  wrong  one  for  a  man  of  the  warm,  passionate 
and  excitable  nature  of  George  Burleigh.  Intrigue, 
gambling  and  excitement  may  do  for  you,  who  need  a 
strong  society  tonic,  but  not  for  him." 

"You  enjoy  saying  those  disagreeable  things  too 
much  for  me  to  stop  you,"  said  Mrs.  Fay. 

"Well,  Beatrice,  he  is  not  himself  now,  and  you  and 
I  must  get  him  upstairs  into  my  room  ;  men  are  not  like 
women — while  we  stand  by  one  another  in  trouble,  your 
sex  delight  in  exposing  it !  " 

"  Well,  that  may  be  true,  but  you  men  have  not  the 
sense  and  foresight  that  we  have  ;  and  will  you  take  him 
to  your  own  apartments,  and  in  this  manner  compromise 
yourself?  You  very  well  know  that  if  by  any  chance 
he  should  be  found  there,  Madam  Grundy  will  say  you 


UNDER  BLUE  SKIES.  65 

got  him  intoxicated  in  order  to  rob  him ;  you  know  he 
has  lost  money  gambling,  and  then  you  would  have  the 
name  without  the  game,  while  I  believe  that  in  this 
'  beautiful '  world  of  fashion  one  should  have  the  game 
and  let  others  have  the  name." 

"  No  matter  just  now  about  theorizing,  Beatrice ; 
please  take  hold  of  one  arm,  and  I  will  take  the  other,  and 
we  will  slip  upstairs  to  my  room."  She  did  not  dare 
disobey,  for  Sir  Wallace  knew  too  much  of  her  affairs, 
and  she  realized  how  unsafe  was  her  foothold  upon 
social  life,  if  she  had  not  a  true  friend  in  himself;  and 
with  more  tact  than  one  woman  in  a  thousand,  she 
bowed  gracefully,  and  those  three  linked  together  by 
bands  of  steel,  which  were  forged  in  the  furnace  of  sin, 
slowly  mounted  the  stairs.  All  was  silent  in  the  hotel, 
but  the  hearts  that  beat  on,  some  of  them  heavily,  some 
of  them  sorrowfully,  a  few,  very  few,  happily. 

Human  nature  is  made  up  of  opposite  extremes,  and 
a  variety  of  conditions.  It  was  three  nights  after  a 
grand  ball  had  been  given  for  the  pleasure  of  the  most 
exclusive  of  the  hotel  guests,  that  we  find  all  our  Bos 
ton  friends  assembled  in  the  parlors  ;  and  to  the  group 
we  can  add  our  old  friend  Leland  Newell.  The  latter 
had  returned  from  a  short  trip  abroad,  and  this  evening 
he  had  introduced  the  subject  of  occult  science.  Worn 
out  with  the  pleasures  of  life,  society's  votaries  always 
hail  with  delight  any  subject  which  is  new  and  not  of 
the  commonplace  order.  "  Yes,  do  tell  us  of  the  mind 
and  soul !  exclaimed  Mrs.  Dumont  Hale,  as  she  looked 
up  lovingly,  at  the  fine  looking  single  man,  who  ought 
to  have  been  married  year  ago. 


66  UNDER  BLUE  SKIES. 

11  What  is  the  matter  with  doing  some  mind  read 
ing?"  said  George  Burleigh,  who  had  sobered  himself 
during  the  last  few  days,  for  he  felt  that  the  keen  eyes 
of  his  uncle's  friend  had  taken  in  his  condition,  and  his 
silent  rebuke  saddened  and  sobered  him  more  than 
words  could  have  done. 

"  I  don't  know  anything  about  the  art"  of  mind- 
reading,"  said  Newell,  "  neither  have  I  seen  a  mind- 
reader  who  could  perform  this  wonder  without  some 
spirit  out  of  the  body,  who  had  the  knowledge  of  names, 
places  and  circumstances  to  communicate  those  facts  to 
him.  The  first  thought  would  seem  like  mental 
communication  between  two  persons,  but  this  cannot 
be  accomplished  unless  one  is  in  a  hypnotic  trance.  I 
do  believe,  however,  in  soul  feeling,  as  well  as  soul 
hearing,  and  seeing.  Psychometry,  clairaudience  and 
clairvoyance  are  now  quite  familiar  terms  with  all  occult 
students." 

"Tell  me  what  you  mean  by  soul  feeling,"  said  Dr. 
Fay. 

"Why  simply  the  inner  sense  to  feel  one's  soul 
atmosphere,  be  they  friend  or  foe,  acquaintances  or 
strangers,  to  know  the  exact  motives  of  one's  actions 
and  characteristics,  regardless  of  appearances  or  the 
world's  criticisms." 

"Well !  I  do  not  believe  one  can  tell  anything  about 
another,"  said  Mrs.  Fay,  "only  as  they  have  a  better 
knowledge  of  human  nature  than  other  persons  less 
keen. 

"  Well,  I  have  just  arrived  from  Europe,  Madam, 
and  my  friends  can  assure  you,  I  am  acquainted  with 


UNDER  BLUE  SKIES.  67 

but  few  in  this  room,  and  never  have  seen  before  some 
of  its  inmates,  still  I  know  them  well ;  take  this  child 
for  instance;  come  here  little  one,"  and  Flossie  walked 
up  and  placed  her  hand  in  his  with  perfect  trust.  "  She 
was  not  born  in  this  country,  but  under  the  blue  skies 
of  a  foreign  land ;  her  father  must  have  been  an 
artist  for  she  has  the  soul  conceptions  of  life, 
and  her  mother  was  a  woman  of  a  retiring,  loving 
disposition,  who  has  seen  much  in  life  to  sadden  and 
subdue  her,  but  this  gives  the  little  one  harmony,  for 
love  is  always  harmony.  She  is  not  only  an  artist  by 
nature,  but  she  has  a  large  soul  by  right  of  birth,  plac 
ing  her  apart  and  unlike  her  playmates  ;  yes,  under  blue 
skies  were  you  born,  little  girl,  and  under  skies  will  you 
live  ;  shedding  happiness  and  music  upon  all  around 
you." 

"  Why,  is  not  that  singular?  '  Under  Blue  Skies  '  is 
the  name  of  that  painting  I  gave  you,  my  dear;"  and 
Mrs.  Hale  touched  Mrs.  Fay's  arm  with  her  hand. 

"  He  read  your  mind  sure,  Mrs.  Hale  !  "  said  Senator 
Burleigh,  laughing  heartily. 

"  Mrs.  Montaigne,"  asked  Marian  Stanton,  "do  tell  us 
if  this  seer  and  prophet  has  read  aright  the  life  of  your 
little  girl  ;  was  her  father  an  artist,  and  was  she  born 
abroad  ?" 

"All  he  has  said  is  true''  she  replied,  in  a  low  voice  ; 
and  there  seemed  to  rest  a  hush  on  the  inmates  of  the 
room — a  condition  that  made  Sir  Wallace  feel  very 
uncomfortable,  and  to  break  it,  he  addressed  Mrs. 
Fay  : 

"I  think    that  as  the  subject  has  been  introduced  of 


68  UNDER  BLUE  SKIES. 

artists'  paintings,  names,  etc.,  etc.,  you  ought  to  show 
this  wonderful  picture  to  us." 

"Oh,  never  mind,"  she  replied — something  seemed 
to  stir  her  feelings  against  her  will,  and  intuitively  she 
felt  that  if  she  got  the  painting,  others  might  know  what 
she  did  not  care  to  have  them.  "  Yes,  do  send  a  servant 
for  the  painting,"  all  exclaimed.  Mrs.  Fay  knew  too- 
well  how  imperative  were  the  demands  of  the  pleasure- 
seeking  world,  especially  when  their  curiosity  was  once 
aroused,  and  one  must  obey  or  lose  caste  with  them.  So, 
of  course,  it  was  brought  into  their  midst  and  admired 
by  them  all.  But  dear  old  lady  Hale  seemed  bound  by 
fate  to  be  an  evil  genius  to  Beatrice,  and  through  this 
very  painting.  "  Yes,  here  it  is,  my  dear  !  I  told  you 
so.  The  name  is  in  the  corner — J.  G.  Montaigne." 

At  the  mention  of  the  name,  Mrs.  Montaigne  came 
hastily  forward,  looking  so  white  and  startled  that  all 
looked  at  her  in  astonishment,  and  one  after  another  fell 
back, until  she  alonestood  before  the  painting.  She  seemed 
to  shake  like  an  aspen  leaf,  as  she  moaned  the  words : 
"Yes,  it  is  his — Jerome  Gerard  Montaigne,  my  husband!" 
and,  at  these  words,  another  face  blanched,  and  Mrs. 
Fay  came  close  beside  the  woman  whose  head  was  bowed 
in  sorrow.  "  Jerome  Gerard  ?  I  knew  him,"  she  said, 
"  but  the  other  name " 

"  He  took  that  later,  madam,  for  property  con 
siderations,  which  now  support  wife  and  child. 
This  picture  has  cleared  up  a  mystery  for  me," 
and  the  words  were  almost  a  sob.  "But,  oh!  to  love 

such "  and  she  stopped.  The  eyes  of  both  women 

met — the  sweetheart  of  the  dead  artist  and  his  wife — 


UNDER  BLUE  SKIES.  69 

one  as  cold  as  ice,  and  as  hard  ;  the  other  as  warm  and 
soft  as  the  Italian  skies  his  hand  had  so  beautifully 
painted ;  sorrow  in  the  heart  of  one,  but  in  the  heart 
of  the  other,  hate  for  the  wife  of  Jerome  Gerard.  Why, 
she  herself  could  not  have  told.  She  had  robbed  her 
of  nothing  she  wanted,  but  the  inconsistency  of  the 
human  heart  is  incomprehensible. 


*  * 
* 


Spring  had  arrived  ;  and  Jerusha  Bigelow  had  been 
talking  over  the  subject  of  house-cleaning  with  Amelia, 
in  her  own  cozy  sitting  room  ;  there  were  two  things 
she  never  allowed  herself  to  pass  over  lightly,  and  they 
were  a  thorough  cleansing  of  the  blood  in  the  spring, 
and  the  cleaning  of  the  entire  house.  "  Just  the  same," 
she  would  say,  "  as  the  house  collects  the  dirt  in  the 
winter,  by  not  observing  the  usual  activity  of  broom, 
mop,  and  free  circulation  of  air  through  the  rooms,  so 
will  the  human  system  get  clogged  by  impurities  de 
rived  from  a  variety  of  sources."  Mary,  Samuel  and 
Amelia,  would  always  protest  when  Jerusha  marched 
into  the  kitchen  with  her  old-fashioned  tonic  which  she 
brewed  herself,  which  was  bitter  as  the  gall  of  bitter 
ness;  they  would  declare  that  their  blood  was  all  right, 
and  that  they  were  not  sick.  "  Of  course  you  are  not 
now,"  she  would  reply,  "  and  neither  do  I  intend  to  have 
you  ;  a  stitch  in  time  saves  nine,  and  its  easier  to  keep 
from  being  sick,  than  to  get  well  when  you  are.  Those 
old  Indians  who  got  this  country  first,  before  doctors 
got  a  monopoly  of  the  human  system  ,  knew  where 
to  go  for  their  medicines,  as  Mother  Nature  told  them, 
and  I  don't  wonder  those  red  men  had  rather  die  and 


?o  UNDER  BLUE  SKIES. 

go  to  their  happy  hunting  grounds  than  fall  into  the 
hands  of  the  doctors,  ministers  and  lawyers."  This  was 
always  said  in  a  tone  which  gave  those  three  innocent 
young  people  the  impression,  that  if  they  did  not  take 
Aunt  Jerusha's  tonic,  they  would  also  fall  into  the  hands 
of  these  arch  fiends  to  the  Indian  race.  "  Yes/'  she 
would  say,  putting  the  bottle  down  so  heavily  that  Mary 
expected  the  bottom  was  cracked,  and  would  glance 
with  dismay  at  her  clean  white  floor  ;  "first,  the  doctor, 
then  the  minister,  then  the  lawyer,  and  you  are  used  up 
body,  soul  and  money,  by  the  time  these  three  men  have 
got  through  with  you."  But  the  tonic  was  swallowed, 
and  Sam  took  his  revenge  by  throwing  stones  at  the 
colt,  making  it  kick  the  calf,  and  Mary  stepped  around 
more  lively,  and  Amelia  slipped  into  the  pantry  for  a 
teaspoonful  of  sauce.  The  remark  Jerusha  made  in 
regard  to  ministers  was  not  her  usual  leniency  toward 
that  profession,  but  she  had  not  felt  kindly  toward  them, 
since  that  stern  rebuke  given  her  by  Elder  Wilder.  True, 
she  was  in  the  fault,  no  doubt,  for  her  inner  conscious 
ness  told  her  so,  but  all  the  more  keenly  does  one  feel 
the  fault  when  the  sin  has  been  discovered.  It  is  true, 
that  sin  never  seems  real  to  us  until  it  has  become 
publicly  known. 

On  this  particular  April  evening  she  sat  reading  Senator 
Burleigh's  last  letter,  and  one  from  Mrs.  George  Bur- 
leigh  ;  as  she  put  them  into  the  bag  at  her  side,  she 
startled  Amelia  from  her  dreams  by  exclaiming  in  a  high 
voice  :  "  These  city  folks  have  an  easy  time  of  it  the 
whole  year  round." 

"  Why  so,  Aunt  Jerusha  ?  " 


UNDER  BLUE  SKIES.  71 

"  Oh,  they  amuse  themselves  all  winter  long,  and  then 
come  to  the  country,  as  George's  wife  says,  when  the 
fruit  trees  are  in  blossom  and  all  nature  is  in  bloom  ;  of 
course  that  is  poetry,  but  Senator  Burleigh  puts  it  in  a 
sensible  way  when  he  says,  'after  house  cleaning  is 
done.'  " 

"  Well,  I  wouldn't  change  places  with  them  anyway, 
said  Amelia,  "  as  they  are  always  sick  or  in  trouble, 
and  don't  know  how  to  enjoy  themselves." 

"  Well,  you  can  talk  that  way,  now  you  are  young, 
and  can  go  winters  to  all  the  kitchen  junkets,  shindigs, 
singing  schools  and  kissing  parties,  but  you  wait  until 
your  knees  are  rheumatic,  and  you  will  feel  then  that  to 
burrough  up  like  a  bear  is  rather  lonesome  business  in 
the  winter  time."  In  vain  had  Amelia  reasoned  with 
Jerusha,  that  they  did  not  have  "junkets"  and  "shin 
digs"  nowadays,  but  "hops"  and  "whist  parties," 
same  as  they  did  in  cities ;  her  only  reply  was,  "  I 
guess  I  know  what  I  am  talking  about." 

"  I  have  an  impression,"  said  this  smiling  little  maid, 
"that  George  Burleigh's  wife  is  not  happy." 

"Now,  Amelia,  don't  use  that  word  again  in 
my  hearing.  I  was  reading  a  short  time  ago, 
that  they  had  been  showing  spirits  in  New  York 
City,  and  it  said  it  all  started  from  a  young  girl 
first  getting  'impressions' ;  and  I  remember  when  I 
was  at  the  bank" — and  Jerusha  stopped  suddenly  ;  it 
was  not  a  pleasant  remembrance,  her  experience  at  the 
bank,  and  generally  people  do  not  like  to  recall 
unpleasant  memories  ;  and  also  she  felt  she  might  disclose 
her  secret. 


72  UNDER  BLUE  SKIES. 

"  Why,  what  were  you  doing  there,  aunt  ?" 

"  Oh,  nothing  !  I  was  going  by  the  bank,  I  mean,  and  I 
heard  afterwards,  that  someone  connected  with  that 
bank  had  impressions  about  my  own  business  matters  ; 
and  the  president  himself  had  been  seeing  spirits  and 
having  his  impressions,  and  I  am  prejudiced  against  the 
word,  Amelia,  and  if  I  catch  any  more  people  having 
'  impressions'  about  my  affairs,  I  will  see  about  it,"  and 
the  needles  flew  faster  and  faster  in  her  spry  fingers. 

This  avoiding  answering  a  question,  and  telling  what 
would  seem  a  "  white  lie,"  was  a  habit  she  had  formed 
of  keeping  her  business  to  herself ;  persons  would  ask 
questions  and  direct  ones  too,  about  other  peoples 
affairs.  "  The  Lord  only  knows,  I  wish  there  was  a 
law  against  it,"  she  would  say.  "  Why  don't  the  people 
see,  that  if  you  wanted  them  to  know  your  business, 
you  would  tell  them  of  it  yourself ;  and  they  never  want 
to  know  for  any  good,  I  don't  believe." 

As  these  thoughts  were  passing  through  Jerusha's 
brain,  she  heard  a  scampering  of  feet,  and  an 
unusual  noise  which  she  could  not  understand  ; 
and  soon  Mary  came  bounding  into  the  room 
with  the  words :  "  Oh,  Miss  Bigelow  and  Miss 
Amelia !  a  chair  walked  right  across  the  room,  and 
got  up  and  sat  right  on  top  of  the  brass  kettle 
I  had  just  scoured  to  put  in  the  boiled  cider  and 
sweet  apples  for  sass.  I  was  scared  most  to  death  ! 
and  Sam  said  someone  pulled  his  hair."  Jerusha  took 
one  look  at  her,  folded  up  her  knitting,  and  proceeded 
to  the  kitchen  followed  by  Amelia  and  Mary  ;  she  was 
getting  used  to  this  phenomena,  and  concluded  she  had 


,     UNDER  BLUE  SKIES.  73 

better  use  her  reason,  and  not  resort  to  prayer.  There 
was  the  chair  balanced  on  the  kettle,  and  Sam  squinting 
at  it  as  if  calculating  how  long  it  would  stay  there. 
Jerusha  caught  the  expression,  and  jumped  at  a  con 
clusion  as  most  people  do  when  beginning  to  investi 
gate  spirit  phenonoma.  "Who  taught  you  that  trick, 
Samuel  B.  Knowles  ?" 

"  No  one,  marm  ;  I  jest  wish  I  knew  how  it  was  done. 
I'd  make  a  '  spec '  out  of  it.  I  never  saw  the  like 
before.  When  I  went  down  to  the  village  to  see  that  man 
take  live  chickens  out  of  his  hat  I  knew  where  they  came 
from,  for  I  furnished  them,  and  he  gave  the  trick  away. 
I  can  do  it  as  well  as  he  can.  Oh,  you  ought  to  seen 
her  skip,"  said  Sam. 

"  Why  do  you  do  call  it  a  she?"  asked  Jerusha  who 
was  trying  to  find  someone  or  something  at  fault.  It 
is  astonishing  how  zealously  some  persons  will  go  to 
work  to  find  fraud,  so  as  to  have  the  satisfaction  of  say 
ing  "  I  told  you  so." 

"  Wai,  I  call  it  a  '  she  '  because  women  are  always 
sitting  down  on  someone  or  something,  and  there  she 
sits  on  that  brass  kettle  like  a  bug  on  a  potato  vine." 

"  If  it  is  done  by  anyone  who  knows  anything  it  will 
obey  when  spoken  to,"  said  Jerusha,  and  she  extended 
her  long,  bony  finger  toward  it  saying,  "Getofffrom  that 
kettle,  instantly  !"  No  quicker  were  the  words  uttered, 
than  the  chair  jumped  lightly  on  to  the  floor,  much  to 
Jerusha's  astonishment.  "  It  don't  make  any  difference 
to  me,"  she  said,  "  whether  it  is  he,  she,  it,  or  the  baby  ! 
I  don't  like  the  '  didoes  '  it  cuts  up  ;  and  you  just  give  an 
extra  scrub  to  the  kettle,  Mary,  and  you  go  to  bed, 


74  UNDER  BLUE  SKIES.  " 

Samuel  Knowles,  with  your  red-head,  and  I  believe 
things  will  quiet  down  ;  "  and  she  marched  Amelia  back 
to  the  sitting  room. 

Sam  had  no  idea  of  going  to  bed;  he  was  speculating 
about  how  things  could  move  without  the  aid  of  visible 
hands,  by  some  power  imparted  to  the  articles;  and  if 
they  were  simply  folks,  as  Amelia  said  they  were,  why 
couldn't  he,  in  the  body,  make  an  invention,  to  move 
matter  by  applying  some  force  in  nature  undiscovered  ? 
It  is  a  fact,  that  it  is  first  through  these  spiritual 
agencies,  which  have  attracted  the  attention  of  minds 
here  in  this  world,  that  have  led  to  some  of  the  finest 
results  in  the  field  of  science. 

Mary  scrubbed  with  renewed  vigor  the  old  fashioned 
brass  kettle,  which  was  supposed  to  be  the  proper  utensil 
to  use  for  various  articles  of  food.  How  could  Jerusha 
have  her  hulled  corn,  her  hominy,  her  boiled  cider  apple 
sauce  without  this  kettle?  She  was  wont  to  say,  a  good 
thing  is  a  good  thing,  and  no  use  trying  experiments 
with  every  new  fangled  notion  that  came  along, 
especially,  if  it  had  anything  to  do  with  the  stomach  ;  for, 
she  said,  if  people  would  eat  more  as  they  used  to  do, 
they  wouldn't  have  to  have  a  calf  killed  every  year  to 
make  pepsin  for  their  stomachs,  and  send  to  France  for 
more,  for  she  had  been  told  on  good  authority  that 
rich  people  didn't  have  any  stomachs  at  all,  only  an 
excuse  for  one. 

Patter,  patter  fell  the  rain,  and  now  and  then  a  low 
rumble,  and  a  bright  flash  of  light  shot  across  the  room  ; 
it  was  not  a  real  thunder  storm,  but  one  of  those  wild, 
disagreeable  storms,  that  leave  an  unpleasant  impression 


UNDER  BLUE  SKIES.  75 

on  the  mind.  Jerusha  had  not  been  slow  to  investigate 
so  far  as  was  within  her  reach,  all  upon  the  subject  of 
spiritualism,  and  it  had  about  upset  all  her  old  religi 
ous  theories.  In  those  long  winter  months,  she  had  read 
much,  and  thought  more  than  most  people  upon  the 
subject,  and  now  as  the  needles  flew  in  and  out,  she 
broke  the  silence  with  the  words,  "  I  have  settled  it ;  it  is 
all  electricity  !" 

"  Yes,  of  course,  it  is  in  a  certain  way,  aunt!"  Amelia 
seemed  to  read  her  thoughts,  "  and  those  out  of  the  body 
used  refined  electricity,  which  is  human  magnetism,  to 
reach  us." 

"  Well,  how  do  you  know  so  much,  Amelia  Bigelow  ?" 

"They  told  me  so  one  night." 

"  Oh,  good  Lord,  and  good  devil !  then  they  told 
you  a  falsehood,  and  /  will  tell  you  the  truth.  There 
are  no  spirits  about  it.  Sam's  red  hair  is  just  full  of  that 
kind  of  fluid;  I  have  seen  it,  and  to-night  the  air  is  full 
of  it,  too,  and  it  formed  a  battery  on  that  old  brass  kettle 
and  drew  the  chair  right  up  there." 

This  was  too  deep  an  argument  for  little  Amelia's 
head,  and  she  wished  she  could  fly  upstairs  and  consult 
the  spirits  how  to  reply  to  these  ideas,  but  she  concluded 
to  let  it  rest  and  call  her  attention  to  something  else, 
which  was  nearer  her  heart.  "  O,  Aunt  Jerusha,  I  wish 
I  had  a  home  of  my  own,  for  poor  mamma  is  so  afraid 
in  a  storm,  which  makes  her  sick;  and  those  people 
where  she  lives  only  laugh  at  her,"  and  tears  filled  the 
beautiful,  brown  eyes  of  the  girl.  "  I  will  earn  money, 
some  day,"  she  said  with  energy,  "for  I  am  going  to 
lecture  on  spiritualism  !" 


76  UNDER  BLUE  SKIES. 

"Hoity-toity!"  said  Jerusha,  dropping  her  stocking 
and  looking  sharply  at  Amelia.  "  Well,  you  will  never 
get  a  home  that  way,  and  you  will  starve,  besides.  You 
like  good  victuals  too  well  for  that.  Why,  Nancy  Ann 
Jones  told  me,  only  last  week,  that  her  husband's  first 
wife's  brother-in-law's  cousin,  Jane  Smith  Jones  Perkins, 
just  like  to  died  travelling  around  for  those  people  called 
'  Spiritualists.'  She  said  that  they  got  itinto  their  heads, 
that  because  people  were  mediums  they  did  not  need 
anything  to  eat ;  and  one  place  Jane  Smith  Jones  Per 
kins  went  to,  they  only  gave  her  a  slice  of  dry  bread 
and  a  cucumber  cut  up  into  some  weak  vinegar,  and  the 
next  morning  some  sloppy  oatmeal,  with  a  tablespoonful 
of  skimmed  milk.  She  said  she  didn't  mind  it  much 
before  speaking,  as  she  never  ate  much  ;  but  after  she 
got  through  (and  I  think  she  spoke  three  times,  having 
a  funeral  in  the  forenoon  of  a  twin,  who  died  by  being 
controlled  too  young  by  George  Washington),  the 
woman  where  she  stopped,  said  to  her  :  '  I  know  you 
have  been  fed  by  the  angel  world,  and  don't  need  any 
thing  to  eat ;  so,  now,  let  us  have  a  little  circle,  as  I  do 
want  to  hear  from  my  husband's  aunt,  and  find  out  if  she 
gave  him  fits  for  marrying  again,  as  she  said  she  would 
do  ; '  and  she  kept  that  poor  creature  up  (served  her 
right  for  being  a  medium)  till  12  o'clock." 

This  speech  was  quite  a  long  one  for  Jerusha,  but  she 
delivered  it  with  force  and  power,  emphasizing  every 
point,  as  she  had  an  object  to  gain,  and  that  was  to 
settle  Amelia  from  ever  going  around  the  country 
preaching  and  "circling"  for  a  class  of  people  who  did 
not  know  enough  to  take  care  of  the  body. 


UNDER  BLUE  SKIES.  77 

It  has  been  said  that  one's  best  efforts  are  many  times 
thrown  away,  and  a  good  motive  turned  to  ridicule ;  for 
Amelia  threw  back  her  sunny  head  and  laughed  until  she 
cried  :  "O,  aunt,  I  can't  stop  laughing  ;  it  is  all  so  funny, 
what  you  have  beensaying.  That  medium  must  have  been 
dreadfully  new  in  the  business,  for  I  would  never  go 
through  such  an  experience  but  once.  I  would  take  a 
hand  satchel  full  of  good  things  to  eat  in  my  room  when 
I  was  hungry.  Why,  all  speakers  carry  them,  and  minis 
ters,  too,  when  they  go  around  preaching.  Sam  said, 
one  day,  when  Mary  asked  him  why  he  carried  the 
Elder's  valise  so  carefully,  that  stopped  here  conference- 
time,  that  he  was  afraid  of  breaking  something ;  that 
they  always  carried  fire-water  bottled  up,  so  as  to  start 
hell  agoing  at  the  commencement  of  the  conference  ; 
but,  now,  I  know  they  probably  had  a  mince-pie,  and  a 
pot  of  beans,  or  a  box  of  sardines,  not  knowing  where 
they  were  going  to  stop." 

"  Amelia  Bigelow,  don't  you  let  me  hear  any  more  of 
Sam  Knowle's  blasphemies !  O,  what  is  the  world 
coming  to?  To  think  an  honest  minister  is  talked  about 
like  that !  It  is  too  wicked  to  think  about !" 

"But  I've  heard  you  talk  worse  than  that  about 
mediums.!" 

"  O,  that  is  different — one  is  working  for  the  Lord, 
the  other  for  the  devil." 

"  Why,  how  do  you  know,  Aunt  Jerusha,  which  one 
they  are  working  for?" 

But  Jerusha  could  not  answer  it  any  more  than  the 
world  can  to-day,  so  she  proceeded  with  her  argument : 

"If you  think  you  are  going  to  earn  money  enough  to 


78  UNDER  BLUE  SKIES. 

buy  your  mother  a  home,  you  ought  to  read  what  I  did 
in  one  of  those  papers  that  Nancy  Ann  Jones  loaned  me 
last  winter.  It  was  a  letter  from  a  medium  who  had 
worked  for  years  among  them  ;  he  said  that  he  did  not 
expect  to  have  a  home  (so  poorly  was  he  paid)  until  he 
got  into  the  spirit-land ;  that  it  was  not  because  Spirit 
ualists  did  not  have  any  money,  but  because  they  would 
not  spend  it  for  their  religion  ;  and  that  the  poor 
mediums  must  starve  for  the  sake  of  the  truth." 

This  was,  indeed,  a  clincher,  and  it  drew  down  the 
beautiful  face  of  Amelia  Bigelow,  until  she  seemed  to 
change  from  a  child  to  a  woman.  She  had  been  taught 
from  childhood  up,  that  every  spare  penny  should  go  to 
her  Sunday-school  teacher  for  the  "  heathen  "  far  over 
the  sea ;  and  people  were  not  sent  over  there  to  teach 
them  without  they  had  money  to  be  taken  care  of,  and 
paid  for  their  work,  for  it  was  the  religion  and  duty  of 
those  left  behind  to  see  to  it ;  and  it  almost  shocked  her 
to  think  that  this  new  and  beautiful  doctrine,  which  the 
angel  world  had  been  teaching  her  for  months  past,  was 
not  worth  a  few  dollars'  support  from  those  claiming  to 
be  its  followers.  "Ah!"  thought  she,  on  leaving  the 
room,  "I  will  ask  my  spirits  to  teach  the  world  to  be 

more  kind,  more  true,  and  more  generous." 

*  * 

* 

City  life  has  become  almost  dependant  upon  life  in  the 
country.  It  is  not  alone  the  need  of  fresh  air  and  pure 
water,  but  nature  demands  a  change,  especially,  among 
a  class  of  persons  whose  lives  are  settled,  socially  and 
financially.  There  is  not  so  much  of  importance  to 
transpire  in  the  higher  walks  of  life  as  one  would 


UNDER  BLUE  SKIES.  79 

imagine ;  they  are  entirely  dependant  upon  the  outside 
world  for  pleasure  ;  their  cares  are  petty — their  thoughts 
mostly  concern  dress,  servants,  and  gossip — their  minds 
are  narrow,  and  feelings  entirely  wanting  ;  so  a  change  is 
as  necessary  to  their  well  being,  as  money  is  to  persons 
who  are  born  without  it. 

We  find  our  friends  whom  we  left  snugly  domiciled  in 
the  hotel  in  Boston,  now  en  route  for  Burleigh  Place,  in 
the  quaint  old  town  of  Burleigh.  All,  but  the  quartette 
of  pleasure  seekers — Mrs. Fay,  Mrs.  Hale,  Sir  Wallace  and 
George  Burleigh, — no  country  life  for  them,  with  its  early 
rising,  its  monotonous  hum  of  bees  on. a  long  summer 
day,  and  its  constant  talk  of  birds  and  flowers ;  a 
fashionable  hotel  at  some  very  swell  watering  place  was 
the  place  for  them  ;  where  love  is  intrigue,  pleasure 
sin,  and  concealment  of  what  one  is  doing,  a  power  much 
sought  after  by  those  indulging  in  fortune's  favors  ;  for 
the  world  ought  not  know  what  they  were  about.  If  it 
eventually  did  find  out,  it  would  be  very  disastrous.  All 
were  agreed  upon  this  point,  but  all  were  not  good 
enough  "Masons"  to  keep  each  other's  secrets. 

It  was  the  last  days  of  June,  and  there  had  been  a 
heavy  shower,  which  had  beaten  off  the  petals  of  the  fruit 
tree's  blossoms,  until  the  ground  seemed  like  winter 
again.  After  one  of  Jerusha's  renowned  "  teas" — where 
nearly  everything  upon  the  table  was  produced  upon  the 
farm — our  little  band  of  city  friends  gathered  on  the  broad 
piazza,  to  enjoy  the  cool  evening  air,  and  chat  about  the 
events  of  the  day ;  the  shy,  little  maiden,  Amelia,  our 
medium,  who  thought  of  every  one's  comfort  before  her 
own,  had  iced  some  of  Aunt  Jerusha's  raspberry  shrub 


8o  UNDER  BLUE  SKIES. 

to  carry  out  to  the  guests.  As  she  appeared  among  them, 
so  fresh  and  sweet,  resembling  so  much  the  evening 
primrose,  which  grew  in  such  profusion  about  the  hedges 
near  them,  a  look  of  admiration  flitted  over  all  the  faces 
and  Leland  Newell  started  as  if  he  had  received  an  elec 
tric  shock.  Where  had  he  seen  this  beautiful  girl  before  ? 
Surely  in  some  land — yes,  he  now  realized  that  it  must 
be  in  the  realm  of  soul-life  in  which  his  own  soul  had 
sought  out  this  rare  and  precious  gem.  Here,  was  his 
ideal  woman  at  last ;  one  long  sought,  and  well  worth 
waiting  for.  All  could  not  help  but  notice  the  look  of 
admiration  painted  upon  Amelia's  face,  as  she  passed  the 
ruby  liquid  to  the  tall,  dark  stranger  ;  for  she  was  not 
taught  to  conceal  her  emotions,  but  to  express  them  as 
naturaly  as  a  bird  would  sing  in  the  morning.  The 
fairies  must  have  danced  in  delight  in  their  beautiful 
floral  glens,  as  they  witnessed  this  scene  of  love  at 
first  sight ;  for  such  a  love  is  of  a  nature  which  leaps 
over  years,  or  circumstances,  motives  or  barriers,  to 
claim  its  own.  If  there  were  more  meetings  of  conge 
nial  souls,  would  there  not  be  more  harmony  in  our 
midst  ? 

After  Amelia  left  the  group,  all  began,  with  one 
exception,  to  comment  upon  her  personal  grace  and  fresh, 
sweet  beauty.  Leland  Newell  remained  silent,  lost  in 
thought.  "  Oh,  she  is  lovely,  mama !"  said  little  Flossie  ; 
"just  like  a  soft  velvet  rosebud  !"  "  She  reminds  me  of 
sunshine  /"  said  Marian,  "with  her  bonny,  brown  curls." 

"  She  recalls  to  me  my  own  lost  girlhood  !"  and  Mrs. 
George  Burleigh  drew  a  heavy,  deep  sigh,  so  sad  and 
intense  that  all  turned  to  catch  its  full  meaning,  and  no 


UNDER  BLUE  SKIES.  81 

one  was  mistaken  about  its  cause.  Senator  Burleigh 
tapped  his  gold-headed  cane  impatiently  upon  the  floor. 
Newell  walked  back  and  forth  nervously,  and  Marian's 
large  eyes  dilated  with  horror,  as  once  again  there  rolled 
before  her  vision  a  panoramic  view  of  the  future.  "I 
think,  mama,  there  will  be  a  frost,  and  spoil  all  the  pretty 
blossoms,  it  is  so  cold  here  !"  said  Flossie. 

Who  can  deny  the  power  of  the  soul  in  the  body — to 
cast  an  influence,  good  or  evil,  happy  or  sad  ?  It  is 
conceded  by  many  thoughtful  minds,  that  the  souls 
embodied,  who  walk  beside  us  in  this  life,  -have  more 
power  to  mar  or  benefit  us  by  the  power  they  throw  out, 
than  those  spirits  who  have  left  this  earth  for  another 
world  of  action.  Senator  Burleigh  felt  that  something 
must  be  said  to  break  the  spell,  and  he  referred  to  the 
fact  that  Miss  Bigelow  had  written  him  last  winter,  that 
this  beautiful  girl  they  had  been  praising  so  highly,  was 
"possessed  of  a  devil."  All  started  in  surprise.  "Well, 
in  other  words,  I  mean  she  is  a  spiritual  medium !" 
explained  the  senator. 

"  Of  course  she  is  !"  said  Newell,  "  and  a  fine  one  she 
will  be,  too,  for  around  her  head  I  see  the  royal  wreath 
of  inspiration ;  one  of  those  high,  spiritual  gifts  which 
makes  the  world  better." 

"  Oh,  nonsense,  Newell !"  exclaimed  the  senator,  "  I 
shall  believe  when  I  hear,  see,  feel  and  touch  a  spirit,  and 
not  until  then.  I  do  not  understand  why  I  have  no 
consciousness  of  a  soul,  and  you  have,  only  for  the  rea 
son  that  you  have  imagination,  and  I  have  not.  I  cannot 
perceive  or  conceive  what  does  not  exist.  I  must  have 
facts  to  base  a  theory  upon." 


8a  UNDER  BLUE  SKIES. 

"  Why,  Senator  Burleigh,  it  seems  to  me  you  are  too 
logical  a  man  not  to  acknowledge  that  real  facts  in  life 
are  based  upon  what  cannot  be  seen  or  handled,  like 
the  power  which  holds  the  universe  together." 

"Very  good,  Miss  Stanton,"  said  Newell.  "You  are 
a  born  occultist,  and  I  trace  you  back  to  the  rich 
oriental  land  of  the  East,  where  just  such  souls  as  yours 
grow  white  and  beautiful  as  the  Egyptian  lily  on  the 
banks  of  the  Nile.  Man  is  never  skeptical  if  he  is  in 
kinship  with  spirit  life.  Materiality,  if  too  strong,  is 
like  a  weed,  which  kills  out  the  fairest  flowers  of  the 
soul  by  a  selfish  tendency  to  take  up  more  strength  of 
earth,  to  absorb  more  light  of  heaven,  and  to  hold  more 
magnetic  relations  with  the  universe  than  it  has  any 
legitimate  right  to  do — thus  becoming  a  king,  wherein 
it  should  only  be  a  subject" 

"  You  are  right  there,  Newell ;  matter  is  all  powerful 
in  this  world,  and  your  spirit  forces  must  subject  matter 
to  its  uses  before  they  can  convince  the  skeptical  world 
at  large." 

All  retired,  leaving  the  senator  and  Newell,  who  sat 
smoking  their  cigars,  both  busy  with  thoughts  too  per 
sonal  to  express.  At  last  the  senator  threw  away  his 
cigar  and  brought  his  cane  down  impatiently  upon  the 
floor  with  the  exclamation,  "  Great  heavens  !  what  am 
I  to  do  with  George  ?  " 

If  a  cannon  had  exploded  at  the  feet  of  this  dreamer 
and  poet,  Leland  Newell,  he  would  not  have  been  more 
surprised  than  at  the  outbreak  of  this  heart-felt  anguish 
from  his  old  friend  ;  a  man  whom  he  always  judged  had 
little  or  no  emotion.  "  Why,  Jackson,  you  astonish 


UNDER  BLUE  SKIES.  83 

me  ! — and  I  am  at  loss  what  to  say — being  a  younger 
man  than  yourself  by  a  number  of  years,  and  never 
having  had  your  world-wide  experience.  I  am  totally 
at  sea  how  to  advise  in  such  a  matter.  When  I  am 
troubled  about  anything  and  cannot  make  it  clear  by 
worldly  advice,  I  look  to  a  higher  power  for  consolation 
and  edification,  as  St.  Paul  would" say,  through  the 
spiritual  gifts,  which  he  enjoins  upon  all  to  culti 
vate." 

"  Well,  Leland,  what  is  the  matter  with  having  a 
little  of  that  divine  afflatus  now  ?  No  one  needs  it  more 
than  I,  for  I  love  the  boy  dearly,  and  few  can  realize 
how  keenly  I  feel  his  downfall."  It  is  a  surprising  fact 
to  some  people  perhaps,  but  not  to  those  instruments 
called  "  mediums,"  who  come  into  such  close  contact 
with  the  world,  that  material  minded  people  fall  heavily 
upon  spiritual  gifts  when  everything  else  fails  them. 
Church  people,  who  claim  publicly  that  they  have  saving 
grace  enough  in  the  church  for  any  trial,  will  go  pri 
vately  to  some  first  class  clairvoyant  or  test  medium  to 
get  light  upon  affairs  both  mundane  and  spiritual. 
Materialists  are  the  weakest  class  upon  earth,  when 
their  loved  ones  are  taken  from  them,  or  when  their  sel 
fish  plans  defeat  themselves,  as  they  invariably  do,  so 
far  as  bringing  happiness  to  the  individuals.  Senator 
Burleigh  had  no  plan  in  his  mind  how  to  remedy  a  fault 
which  arose  simply  in  the  physical  senses  of  his  nephew 
which  he  encouraged,  by  allowing  him  to  form  a  hasty 
and  uncongenial  marriage,  which  was  fast  undermining 
a  once  good,  moral  character.  "  It  does  no  good  trying 
to  control  what  one  cannot  change,"  he  had  said  over 


84  UNDER  BLUE  SKIES. 

and  over  to  himself,  but  to  indulge  George  in  extrava 
gance  any  longer  was  ruinous  to  himself  and  others. 

There  was  a- .long  silence  between  them,  but  when 
Leland  Newell  did  speak  his  voice  was  strong  and 
clear. 

"  Jackson,  there  is  no  other  way  but  a  decided  change 
for  him  ;  a  breaking  away  from  the  causes  that  produce 
this  trouble  ;  in  other  words,  go  to  Europe  with  him  for 
two  years ;  leave  everything  behind ;  insist  upon  his 
placing  his  mind  upon  some  profession  or  art  which  will 
fill  up  his  life." 

"  What !     Leave  his  wife  here  ?  " 

"Yes,  Jackson.  I  doubt  if  she  would  go  with  him, 
under  any  circumstances." 

"Do  you  mean  for  me  to  close  up  Burleigh  Place?  " 
asked  the  senator,  in  a  trembling  voice. 

"Of  course  !  It  will  do  you  good,  my  friend,  to  visit 
Europe.  You  will  return  with  a  better  appreciation  of 
your  landed  property  and  make  more  of  these  acres 
which  I  see  now  going  to  waste.  Our  Americans  are 
only  too  willing  to  leave  and  sell  their  homes  to  a  class 
of  foreigners  who  will  grow  rich  at  our  expense,  and,  who, 
in  time,  will  weave  a  rope  of  circumstances  strong 
enough  to  hang  our  free  institutions  and  crush  out  our 
broad  principles  for  which  our  forefathers  bled  and 
died.  The  only  safe  man,  the  only  one  who  can  protect 
his  home,  his  family,  or  his  country,  will  be  the  king  of 
the  soil." 

"  You  are  doubtless  right,  Newell ;  and  your  advice 
is  good — but  practically,  I  cannot  see  how  to  bring  it 
about." 


UNDER  BLUE  SKIES.  85 

"  Don't  think  of  it  at  all,  now  ;  I  am  sure,  before  the 
summer  months  are  over,  circumstances  will  shape  them 
selves,  so  you  can  take  George  abroad,  and  leave  every 
thing  all  right  at  home.  When  I  hear  this  talk  about 
redeeming  people,  I  realize  that  it  never  can  be  done 
until  the  influences  surrounding  the  person,  both 
spiritual  and  material,  are  broken.  The  only  way  to  open 
the  doors  of  an  imprisoned  soul  that  it  may  see  the  light 
is  to  change  its  conditions  so  radically,  that  it  cannot 
return  to  its  former  darkness.  A  change  of  heart  which 
the  Christians  sing  and  pray  about,  means  a  change  of 
location,  and  of  the  people  connected  with  the  inner  life 
of  the  individual  ;  this  is  the  way  that  all  higher  spiritual 
intelligences  look  upon  true  reformation." 

The  senator  retired  with  renewed  hopes  for  the  future. 
As  the  mantle  of  night  fell  over  Burleigh  Place,  it  was 
pinned  back  by  one  bright  star,  which  should  be  in 
every  one's  horizon,  and  that  is  Hope.  Someone  to  live 
for,  something  to  aspire  to,  brushes  away  the  cobwebs 
of  doubt,  which  circumstances  are  constantly  weaving 
before  the  eyes  of  mortals,  as  they  stumble  along  the 
dark  pathways  of  life ;  even  the  unhappy  wife  felt  her 
burdens  lighten,  by  beautiful  dreams,  as  if  some  angel 
hand  had  held  the  heavy  chains  of  discord,  which  an 
unhappy  marriage  always  forges  ;  for  no  chains  that  the 
convict  drags  wearily  along,  are  more  heavy  than  these 
which  hold  the  victims  of  domestic  infelicity  ;  and  it  was 
a  happy  row  of  faces  that  gathered  around  Aunt  Jerusha's 
well-prepared  breakfast,  with  its  excellent  coffee,  light 
rolls  and  abundance  of  fruit. 

Jerusha  Bigelow   was  a    sensible    woman,    especially 


86  UNDER  BLUE  SKIES. 

about  money  matters.  The  summer  was  rapidly  going 
by,  and  as  papers,  books  and  magazines,  were  talked 
over  by  the  inmates  of  Burleigh  Place,  Jerusha  had  heard 
frequently  of  houses  and  apartments  being  robbed  by 
night,  and  even  in  the  day  time,  so  she  reasoned  this 
way  :  if  people  lost  money  by  thieves  in  one  part  of  the 
country,  why  not  in  another  as  well  ?  Yes,  she  was  sure 
of  one  thing — that  her  money  was  not  safe,  even  under 
lock  and  key,  at  Burleigh  Place  ;  and  also,  she  said  to 
herself,  money  should  be  earning  money,  and  if  she 
bought  a  house,  she  was  not  obliged  to  take  Amelia's 
mother  from  where  she  was,  and  place  her  in  it,  but  rent 
the  same  for  good  interest  on  the  money  invested.  That 
very  afternoon  after  arriving  at  this  conclusion,  she  pro 
ceeded  to  a  real  estate  agent  to  talk  the  matter  over,  who 
told  her  he  knew  just  what  kind  of  property  she  wanted 
and  that  he  now  had  in  his  care  a  new  cottage  which  had 
been  built  by  a  gentleman  for  his  mother  and  sister,  very 
near  to  an  old  friend  of  his,  Senator  Burleigh  ;  before  it 
was  completed,  the  mother  joined  the  great  majority,  and 
a  year  later  the  sister  followed.  After  much  discussion, 
the  sum  was  agreed  upon,  the  papers  drawn  up,  and 
Jerusha  went  home  feeling  much  happier  than  she  had 
for  a  long  time.  Why,  she  could  not  exactly  say ;  she 
had  looked  the  property  over,  and  found  it  well  sur 
rounded  with  land,  to  protect  it  from  fire,  and  it  was  a 
great  bargain. 

One  more  duty  she  had  to  perform,  and  that  was  to 
give  Amelia  a  piece  of  her  mind ;  and  while  she  was 
nerved  up  to  business  she  would  finish  it  all  up  in  one 
afternoon,  the  same  as  she  would  bind  off  a  stocking 


UNDER  BLUE  SKIES.  87 

because  it  was  nearly  done,  and  ought  to  be  finished. 
The  guests  of  Burleigh  Place  had  all  taken  different  routes 
for  business  or  pleasure,  leaving  Amelia  alone  crochet 
ing  on  the  piazza,  while  Sam  and  Mary  looked  quite 
"  spoony,"  so  Jerusha  thought,  as  her  eagle  eyes  roamed 
around  the  "back  stoop  "  as  she  persisted  in  calling  it- 
She  took  her  easy  chair  and  knitting  work  and  sat  down 
beside  her  niece,  and  a  long  silence  followed.  "  Amelia 
Bigelow,"  said  she,  in  a  sharp,  quick  tone  which  sent  the 
blood  tingling  through  Amelia's  veins — for  it  was  a  habit 
of  hers  to  shoot  off  words,  just  as  a  person  would  fire  a 
gun — "  I  have  noticed  that  you  have  been  galivanting 
around  altogether  too  much  with  a  man  old  enough  to 
be  your  father,  and  whose  intentions  I  don't  know 
whether  they  are  good  or  bad." 

Amelia  blushed  a  deep  red,  but  spoke  up  in  a  strong, 
courageous  voice  :  "  I  suppose  you  mean  Mr.  Newell !  I 
don't  care  how  old  he  is — he  is  a  good,  true  gentleman, 
and  his  intentions  are  good.  This  talk  about  age,  makes 
me  disgusted  !  I  cannot  see  as  it  has  anything  to  do 
with  love,  if  you  care  for  a  person — you  do — and  that's  all 
there  is  about  it." 

"  Hoity,  toity  !  It  has  come  to  that,  has  it?  How 
long  since,  may  I  ask,  and  what  is  his  business  ?  " 

Amelia  did  not  deign  to  reply  to  the  first  question, 
but  answered  promptly  to  the  last :  "  He  is  a  reformer, 
Aunt  Jerusha." 

"  A  reformer  !  I  thought  so — and  they  don't  know 
enough,  Amelia  Bigelow,  to  go  in  when  it  rains.  I 
remember  years  ago,  one  of  them  came  around 
Burleigh  trying  to  reform  some  of  our  good  old  church 


88  UNDER  BLUE  SKIES. 

principles,  and  he  did  not  have  one  good,  solid  principle 
himself,  or  one  cent  of  money." 

"  Well,  aunt — that  case  does  not  apply  to  Mr. 
Newell,  for  he  has  money,  and  you  have  just  been  buy 
ing  some  property  of  his  ;  because  that  little  boy,  Jim — 
who  runs  errands  at  the  real  estate  office,  came  on  ahead 
of  you,  and  told  Sam  that  you  had  bought  the  Newell 
house,  and  Sam  told  Mary  and  she  told  me." 

"  How  did  that  imp  of  Satan  know?  He  wasn't  in 
the  room." 

"  I  suppose  he  listened  at  the  keyhole." 

"  Oh  !  if  I  had  him  by  the  hair  this  very  minute," 
said  Jerusha,  in  indignant  wrath.  "  People  can't  keep 
their  affairs  to  themselves  nowadays  ;  between  children, 
spirits  and  gossipers,  everything  is  known." 

"  I  knew  that  Mr.  Newell  wanted  to  sell  the 
property,  and  build  a  Spiritual  Temple  at  Burleigh 
Centre.  I  think  it  will  be  fine,  but  it  is  awfully  funny  that 
your  money  should  help  the  good  cause  along." 

"  Amelia  Bigelow,  stop  such  blasphemy  this  minute  ! 
A  temple  for  the  devil  to  worship  in — I  guess  not ! 
When  that  comes  to  pass,  you  will  find  every  meeting 
house  steeple  fall  to  the  ground.  But  you  haven't  told 
me  what  his  intentions  are  towards  you,  and  if  you  do 
not,  I  shall  find  out  for  myself,  mighty  quick." 

"  Well,  aunt,  we  are  going  to  be  married  this  fall  ! 
See  this  beautiful  ring  he  has  given  me.  You  don't  care 
do  you?  You  will  get  me  off  your  hands." 

"If  you  are  fool  enough  to  get  married  at  all,  and  to  an 
old  bachelor,  a  reformer  and  what  not,  1  shall  wash  my 
hands  of  the  whole  matter,  and  say  now,  '  as  you  make 


UNDER  BLUE  SKIES.  89 

your  bed  you  must  lay  in  it '  ;  and  if  you  find  thorns  in 
it,  which  you  probably  will,  don't  come  crying  around 
asking  for  feathers,  after  a  few  years,- to  soften  it  up,  from 
people  who  told  you  better,  and  you  will  find  this 
changing  old  ideas,  will  be  like  changing  old  folks  to 
new  fashions,  or  learning  old  dogs  new  tricks." 


*  * 
* 


"  What  a  storm  we  are  going  to  have  !"  remarked  Dr. 
Fay,  one  afternoon  in  August.  "  Yes,  a  heavy  one,  you 
will  find;  but  I  always  enjoy  a  thunder  storm  in  the 
country  ;  it  seems  to  me  that  Dame  Nature  is  just  wak 
ing  up  from  a  long  sleep,"  said  Mrs.  Montaigne,  as  she 
smoothed  Flossie's  tangled  curls.  "  Does  Nature  sleep, 
mama?  Where  is  her  bed, and  how  does  she  look?  Does 
she  have  a  night  cap  on,  like  Aunt  Jerusha  ?  "  No  one 
seemed  inclined  to  favor  the  little  one  with  a  full  expla 
nation  about  the  cradle  of  the  universe,  wherein  are 
rocked  more  than  one  world  by  omnipotent  power. 

Elder  Wilder  had  thought  the  matter  over,  about  his 
"  tiff"  with  Miss  Bigelow,  and  as  one  by  one,  the  pay 
ing  members  were  dropping  out  of  the  parish  work,  he 
concluded  to  overlook  this  remissness  of  duty  in  this  delin 
quent  sister,  and  make  her  and  the  inmates  of  Burleigh 
Place  an  afternoon  visit ;  he  could  not  read  or  study  on 
such  a  stormy  afternoon,  and  how  could  he  better  serve 
the  Lord,  than  to  look  after  one  of  His  stray  sheep  ? 

Mrs.  George  Burleigh  and  Miss  Stanton  had  been 
spending  more  time  than  usual  at  the  parsonage  of  Mrs. 
Burleigh' s  father,  and  were  away  on  this  particular 
afternoon.  Suddenly  the  door  bell  rang,  and  Mary 
announced  the  arrival  of  Rev.  Edward  Rowland,  pastor 


90  UNDER  BLUE  SKIES. 

of  the  Unitarian  church,  at  Burleigh.  As  this  tall,  aristo 
cratic-looking  gentleman  walked  into  the  reception  room, 
all  felt  intuitively  that  something  of  more  than  ordinary 
nature  prompted  him  to  make  this  visit ;  but  he  was  a 
man  who  did  not  waste  words,  time  or  money  foolishly ; 
a  type  of  the  William  Channing  school — one  who  was 
liberal  upon  any  subject  that  affected  the  spiritual  wel 
fare  of  the  race.  It  was  impossible  for  one  to  feel  at 
perfect  ease  in  his  presence  ;  he  seemed  cold  and  indif 
ferent,  as  if  he  lived  on  a  plane  far  out  of  the  reach  of 
common  humanity,  although  rumor  said  a  kinder 
hearted  or  more  charitable  man  never  lived  in  their 
midst.  Silence  seemed  to  follow  after  the  usual  hand 
greetings  and  introductions  were  over.  Fat  Elder 
Wilder  looked  red  and  seemed  fidgety  ;  so  much  so,  that 
Dr.  Fay  was  making  a  mental  calculation,  of  how  many 
more  good  dinners,  and  how  much  more  tobacco  it 
would  take  to  throw  him  into  an  apoplectic  fit.  "  Can  I 
see  you  alone  for  a  few  moments,  Senator  Burleigh  ?  " 
asked  Mr.  Howland,  at  length. 

"  Certainly!"  and  the  two  proceeded  to  the  library, 
carefully  closing  the  door  behind  them.  "  Will  you  be 
seated,  sir?"  said  the  senator,  as  he  observed  the  rest 
less  walk  of  this  scholarly  visitor. 

"Pardon  me,  if  I  decline,  senator!  I  can  assure  you 
that  my  visit  here  this  afternoon  is  a  painful  one,  and  I 
am  almost  unable  to  control  my  emotions.  I  can  only 
do  so  by  walking  back  and  forth — a  habit  of  mine  when 
unusually  excited — but  not  wishing  to  keep  you  in  any 
undue  suspense,  I  will  come  at  once  to  the  subject.  I 
have  called  to  ask  you  to  co-operate  with  me,  in  annul- 


UNDER  BLUE  SKIES.  91 

ling  the  marriage  contract  between  your  nephew  and  my 
daughter,  Grace  ;  it  is  a  failure,  sir — decidedly  so — for 
both  parties  concerned." 

Senator  Burleigh  looked  up  with  an  almost  frightened 
expression.  "What,  sir?  do  I  hear  aright? — you  have 
called  to  ask  me  to  help  you  in  obtaining  a  divorce  for 
these  parties  ?" 

"  Most  assuredly,  sir."  "And  you  a  clergyman — I 
can't  believe  you  mean  what  you  say  !  You,  doubtless, 
have  much  cause  to  complain  of  George's  neglect  and 
recklessness ;  but  a  man  must  sow  his  wild  oats,  and 
he  evidently  delayed  the  crop  until  after  marriage  ; 
but,  with  a  little  patience,  all  will  be  right." 

"  My  friend,  there  is  only  one  incentive  which-  will 
give  a  person  that  patience,  and  that  is  love ;  and  I 
found,  to  my  utter  astonishment,  that  my  daughter  does 
not  love  your  nephew  any  more  than  he  does  her ;  and 
you,  with  your  sound  judgment,  can  see  that  such  a 
marriage  is  but  a  farce." 

"  I  don't  know  about  that,  Mr.  Rowland.  I  cannot 
see  any  reason  why  George  does  not  care  for  his  wife, 
although  he  may  not  seem  to,  for  the  time  being ;  he 
chose  her  from  among  many  others,  and  he  had  no 
mercenary  motive  for  so  doing." 

"A  man,  Senator  Burleigh,  whose  wife  has  no  influence 
over  him,  for  his  good,  in  the  earlier  part  of  married 
life,  certainly  cannot  hope  to  gain  that  influence  later 
on.  A  man  who  absents  himself  from  his  wife,  and 
associates  with  others  continually — thus  placing  her  at 
a  disadvantage  with  herself  and  the  world — does  not 
love  her." 


92  UNDER  BLUE  SKIES. 

"  Well,  well,  that  may  be  so ;  but  there  are  few  happy 
marriages,  and  it  surely  sets  a  bad  example  for  one 
(without  some  great  criminal  cause)  to  set  marriages 
lightly  to  one  side  ;  and,  for  the  sake  of  society  at  large, 
I  do  not  endorse  your  sentiments." 

"  I  am  not  considering  society"  said  the  minister, 
"  but  the  moral  and  spiritual  natures  of  two  individuals, 
who  have  started  out  in  life,  mismated  and  uncongenial  ; 
who,  I  believe,  if  they  remedy  their  mistake  in  time,  can 
gravitate  to  conditions  more  compatible  with  their  moral 
lives  and  happiness.  I  have  no  confidence  in  people 
keeping  in  a  darkened  condition,  because  they  do  not 
want  the  world  to  know  where  they  stand,  or  have  not 
the  moral  courage  to  throw  open  the  windows  of  cir 
cumstance,  and  let  the  sunlight  of  a  good,  wholesome 
change  come  in  ;  in  other  words,  do  right,  for  the  sake 
of  the  right,  not  because  people  will  praise  or  condemn, 
but  for  the  sake  of  your  own  soul  and  those  connected 
with  you  ;  and  this  right  principle  can  harm  no  one." 

"  I  should  like,  Mr.  Howland,  to  ask  the  advice  of 
others  in  this  matter;  I  am  at  a  loss  how  to  decide." 

"  Certainly,  if  you  so  wish  ;  if  you  assist  me  in  bring 
ing  about  a  separation  between  the  two,  it  cannot  be 
kept  private ;  so  we  might  as  well  take  the  ox  by  the 
horns  first  as  last.  It  is  because  my  own  married  life 
was  so  happy,  and  also— I  have  been  father  and  mother, 
both,  to  my  dear  child ;  and  I  feel  I  must  look  out  for 
her  future  peace  and  comfort,  regardless  of  the  world's 
criticism." 

So  the  senator  called  in  Rev.  Wilder,  his  friend 
Newell,  and  Dr.  Fay,  and  in  a  lawyer-like  manner,  laid 


UNDER  BLUE  SKIES.  93 

the  case  before  them.  The  doctor  gave  a  long  and 
scientific  treatise  upon  different  temperaments  and  their 
relation  to  marriage,  but  the  language  was  so  labored 
that  the  listeners  could  not  tell  at  its  close  whether  two 
positives  or  two  negatives  should  marry,  or  vice  versa. 
The  elder  was  quick  to  take  fire,  and  he  thought  he 
saw  a  point  wherein  he  could  place  his  reverend  brother 
at  a  great  disadvantage.  "  Do  you,  sir,  claiming  to  be 
a  follower  of  Christ,  our  risen  Savior,  come  here  to 
advocate  divorce  ?  Do  you  not  remember  that  the 
Bible  strictly  forbids  putting  asunder  what  God  has 
joined  together  in  holy  marriage?" 

Years  ago,  Edward  Rowland  had  given  up  discussing 
any  theory  from  a  biblical  standpoint,  so  he  simply  said : 

"  I  base  my  argument  upon  the  ground  of  morality, 
regardless  of  what  can  or  cannot  be  proven  in  the  sacred 
books.  Adultery  arid  wine  drinking  can  be  proven  as 
easily  by  reading  detached  passages  as  purity  and 
morality." 

"  Well,  I  have  always  contended,"  said  Elder  Wilder, 
"  that  liberal  theology  taught  looseness  of  morals,  and 
this  afternoon  has  confirmed  my  opinion  ;  for  I  think  it 
one  of  the  greatest  sins  to  advocate  free-  divorce  laws, 
and  one  that  will  be  punished  by  eternal  suffering  in  the 
world  to  come  !" 

"Would  you  prefer,  Elder  Wilder,  to  see  two  people 
going  down  the  hill  of  moral  rectitude,  quarreling,  untrue 
and  unkind  to  each  other,  and  keep  them  there,  because 
they  are  married — or  those  same  parties  separated, 
going  in  the  opposite  direction,  happier  and  better  in 
their  moral  natures  ?  " 


94  UNDER  BLUE  SKIES. 

"  Well,  I  would  rather  they  would  go  on,  and  commit 
carnal  sins,  than  to  break  the  laws  of  God  and  man, 
which  cannot  be  forgiven  ;  for,  from  the  sins  of  the  flesh, 
they  can  be  washed  white  and  clean  in  the  blood  of  the 
Lamb,  but  from  the  sins  of  the  spirit  and  the  law, 
never  /' ' 

"  It  is  useless  for  me  to  argue  this  question  with  you, 
Elder  Wilder,  for  our  premises  are  not  the  same,  and 
our  conclusions  must  necessarily  differ.  While  I  am 
willing  to  hear  anyone's  suggestion  upon  such  a  vital 
question,  it  must  be  given  with  the  spirit  that  he  cannot 
convince  me,  or  shake  my  resolutions." 

"I  would  simply  say,"  broke  in  Newell,  "in  behalf  of 
my  old  friend's  nephew,  and  in  his  absence,  to  notify 
him  of  your  feelings,  and  let  the  two  most  interested — 
husband  and  wife — meet  and  decide  for  themselves, 
regardless  of  outside  influences ;  and,  furthermore,  if 
they  both  came  to  the  conclusion  that  a  separation  was 
inevitable,  they  should  not  take  any  legal  action  for  two 
years,  and  then  they  would  have  no  reason  to  regret  the 
steps  taken,  in  future  years." 

"  I  thank  you,  Mr.  Newell,  for  your  kindly  interest 
and  foresight.  I  will  proceed  at  once  to  arrange  a  meet 
ing,  if  the  senator  will  see  his  nephew,  and  lay  the 
matter  before  him." 

"I  will  do  so,  at  once,"  said  the  senator.  "I  have 
been  thinking  seriously  of  taking  George  abroad,  hop 
ing,  by  change  of  scene  and  associations,  to  bring  him 
back  to  his  kind-hearted  self  again." 

So  the  party  separated,  each,  doubtless,  strong  in  his 
own  convictions  of  the  moral  rights  of  humanity.  Sen- 


UNDER  BLUE  SKIES.  95 

ator  Burleigh  felt  annoyed ;  for,  like  all  materialistic 
people,  he  did  not  like  to  be  shaken  up  in  the  ways  of 
life ;  and,  as  he  let  his  hand  fall  kindly  on  Newell's 
shoulder,  he  said :  "  Well,  old  friend,  your  spiritual 
impressions  were  right.  The  door  is  opened  without 
any  effort  on  my  part,  which  will  allow  George  to  go  to 
Europe,  and  his  wife  remain  in  America  ;  and  that  which 
originated  in  the  spirit  realm  ought  to  end  well  for  each 
and  everyone  concerned." 

"  Have  no  worriment  about  that,  Jackson  !  The  laws 
spiritual  are  more  lasting  than  any  laws  man  can  make, 
notwithstanding  Brother  Wilder's  views  to  the  contrary. 
But  I  was  surprised  at  the  stand  you  took,  Jackson,  on 
the  divorce  question,  when  you  were  so  radical  before 
George  was  married.  Then  you  seemed  to  look  at  the 
subject  as  one  of  the  most  ordinary  commercial  affairs, 
to  be  dissolved  at  will." 

"  I  tell  you  what  it  is,  Leland  ;  it's  easy  for  people  to 
talk  ;  but  when  it  comes  home  to  them,  it  is  a  different 
matter.  You  and  I  were  arguing  the  question,  the 
pros  and  cons,  doubtless,  to  see  who  would  make  the 
strongest  point.  But  when  you  bring  theory  down  to 
practice,  and  it  is  in  your  own  family  and  blood,  it  is  not 
quite  so  easy.  I  am  a  much  prouder  man  than  I  thought 
I  was  ;  and,  socially,  the  Burleighs  have  stood  well  since 
I  have  learned  anything  about  their  history,  and  I  dis 
like  to  have  anything  in  my  time  which  will  leave  a  stain 
on  my  family  name.  Divorce  should  not  be  considered 
in  the  light  of  a  disgrace,  but  it  is,  so  long  as  the  world 
regards  it  so." 

"You  materialists  can  never  get  away  from  the  world 


96  UNDER  BLUE  SKIES, 

and  its  environments,  Jackson  ;  while,  with  the  occultist, 
he  grows  broader  and  freer  as  the  years  go  by  ;  and, 
instead  of  my  being  as  conservative  in  my  views  as  I 
was,  I  am  more  in  touch  with  the  life  beyond,  which 
looks  upon  any  event  which  transpires  here  in  this  life 
as  a  slight  lesson,  compared  with  the  important  subjects 
to  be  learned  in  the  life  of  spirit." 

Senator  Burleigh  had  thought  it  would  be  a  more 
difficult  task  to  break  his  future  plans  to  Jerusha  than 
he  found  it  to  be.  If  there  was  one  thing  more  than 
another  that  pleased  her,  it  was  to  get  ahead  of  the 
masculine  sex;  and  it  was  with  a  well-satisfied  air — 
after  hearing  the  senator  through — that  she  told  him 
she  had  already  purchased  a  home,  and  left  him  to 
think  she  did  so  for  just  such  an  emergency.  "Of 
course,"  he  said,  "I  shall  continue  your  salary  just  the 
same,  and  shall  want  your  services  on  my  return.  I  am 
more  than  pleased  to  learn  that  your  niece,  Amelia,  is 
to  join  her  future  with  my  dear  friend,  Newell ;  a  better 
man  cannot  be  found — so  noble,. generous  and  true.  If 
we  had  more  like  him  the  world  would  be  running  on  a 
different  track." 

Jerusha  did  not  deign  to  reply,  but  gave  her  cap 
strings  an  extra  twirl.  "About  Sam,"  continued  the 
senator,  "  he  has  informed  me  that  he  is  anxious  to 
travel  with  his  new  invention  and  introduce  it  to  the 
public;  but  I  don't  know  about  Mary — I  shall  have  to 
leave  that  with  you." 

"  Don't  you  worry  about  her,  for  Nancy  Ann  Jones 
has  come  into  some  property,  and  she  told  me,  the  other 
day,  she  would  have  to  keep  a  hired  girl  so  as  to  be 


UNDER  BLUE  SKIES.  97 

popular.  She  hated  to  dreadfully,  as  she  did  not  know 
what  to  do  with  one,  being  accustomed  to  work  herself. 
I  told  her  to  keep  right  on  with  the  hardest  of  the  work, 
and  let  Mary  get  into  playing  games,  crocheting  and 
reading  novels,  as  that  was  about  all  hired  girls  did  now 
adays,  only  taking  time  to  starch  their  white  skirts  and 
seeing  their  beaux  on  the  back  stoops.  I  don't  say 
that  Mary  is  that  kind  of  a  girl — I  have  never  given  her 
much  of  any  chance — but  I  mistrust  she  has  taken  all 
the  time  she  wanted,  doing  a  mighty  lot  of  sparking  with 
Sam  Knowles." 

The  senator  smiled  in  spite  of  himself,  but  was 
delighted  to  know  he  could  close  up  Burleigh  Place  for 
an  indefinite  length  of  time  and  leave  those  he  was 
interested  in  so  well  situated.  Thus  events  shape  them 
selves  many  times,  and  we  move  on  with  them,  as  free 
as  the  air  we  breathe,  with  but  little  knowledge  of  how 

they  may  end. 

*  * 
* 

Beatrice  Fay  had  not  been  idle  during  the  summer 
months.  Naturally  restless,  she  had  flitted  from  one 
resort  to  another,  thus  coming  in  contact  with  her  old 
associates.  She  was  not  slow  to  poison  the  minds  of 
all  against  Mrs.  Montaigne  ;  she  went  so  far  as  to  insin 
uate — but  she  was  too  subtle  to  say  boldly  what  she 
thought,  and,  furthermore,  she  knew  that  this  was  a  sure 
way  to  undermine  a  good  character,  and  set  people  to 
thinking  evil  of  another — she  intimated  that  she  had 
every  reason  to  doubt  the  legality  of  a  marriage 
between  her  former  friend,  Jerome  Gerard,  and  this 
lady.  Society  was  quite  sure,  now,  that  Mrs.  Mon- 


98  UNDER  BLUE  SKIES. 

taigne's  visit  to  Burleigh  Place  meant  no  good  to  its 
inmates  ;  that  she  was  an  intriguing  woman,  and  they 
would  some  day  find  out  all  about  her ;  and  even  Mrs. 
Dumont  Hale,  naturally  kind  hearted,  but  who  believed 
everything  that  Mrs.  Fay  told  her,  whispered  to  her 
neighbor  that  she  believed,  that  why  George  Burleigh 
remained  away  from  home,  was  so  as  to  deceive  the 
world  and  make  them  think  there  was  nothing  between 
them,  and  she  had  heard  before  how  men  had  forced 
their  poor  wives  to  be  on  friendly  terms  with  their  mis 
tresses  in  order  to  escape  criticism. 

Poor,  weak  society  !  How  contented  it  was  to  take 
this  morsel,  and  roll  it  under  its  tongue  because  it  was 
sweet,  and  to  learn  that  some  other  family  was  in  trou 
ble  beside  their  own.  Yes — there  was  more  than  one 
closet  that  held  a  hideous  skeleton,  and  dear,  loving 
humanity  of  the  higher  grade  knew  all  about  these 
dark  secrets,  which  were  only  covered  up  by  the  dra 
pery  of  fashion.  Of  course,  these  draperies  were  of 
rich  material,  and  covered  with  flowers  made  of  golden 
threads,  and  to  the  common  passer-by  they  not  only 
hung  gracefully,  but  were  the  most  beautiful  drapery 
they  had  ever  seen.  It  does  not  seem  possible  that 
in  those  elegant  homes  there  could  be  sights  too  horri 
ble  to  be  shown  up  to  the  daylight  of  truth,  and  refined 
Boston,  at  least,  should  escape,  where  intellect  pre 
dominated,  and  the  arts  and  sciences  were  bountifully 
sustained  ;  but  no,  cities,  like  people,  cannot  be  judged 
by  reputation  or  external  appearance. 

The  thought  may  arise  in  the  minds  of  many  why 
Mrs.  Fay  should  persist  in  harming  a  person  who  had 


UNDER  BLUE  SKIES.  99 

never  injured  her.  We  see  it  every  day,  and  there  are 
no  greater  enemies  to  moral  character  than  envy  and 
jealousy.  Senator  Burleigh's  name  was  never  coupled 
with  that  of  ladies.  There  was  a  romance  in  his  youth 
that  was  known  to  every  mother  who  had  a  marriageable 
daughter,  and  designing  widows  had  given  line  in 
vain — so  it  was  George  Burleigh,  and  not  the  uncle, 
that  society  fastened  its  fangs  upon,  not  to  rend  him  to 
pieces — oh,  no  ! — he  was  a  man  !  But  the  woman  in 
the  case — let  no  thread  of  her  garment  remain  white  so 
long  as  there  was  mud  in  their  brains,  and  ink  in  their 
hearts,  to  be  thrown  at  her  at  a  moment's  notice. 

One  evening,  after  Sir  Wallace  and  Beatrice  had  worn 
threadbare  all  the  topics  of  the  day,  and  were  truly 
tired  of  one  another,  Sir  Wallace  broke  the  silence  with 
the  words,  "  By  Jove,  Bee,  I  nearly  forgot  to  tell  you 
that  I  have  a  lovely  surprise  for  you — something  I 
learned  at  the  club  ;  it  came  straight,  too — so  now,  my 
dear,  don  your  best  attire  and  be  ready  at  ten  o'clock 
to  take  a  morning  drive." 

"  What  for,  Wallace  ?  it's  too  early  !  I  don't  like  to 
rise  before  daylight,  and  you  know  it !  " 

"  Most  assuredly,  lady  fair  !  I  know  the  fact ;  but 
you  will  miss  what  I  have  to  show  you,  if  you  are  not 
up  in  season.  You  are,  doubtless,  aware  that  one  of  the 
Cunard  steamers  bound  for  Europe,  will  not  wait  for 
people,  wishing  to  see  her  passengers  aboard,  to  finish 
their  toilets." 

"  Do  tell  me  who  they  are,  Wallace;  you  know  there 
are  some  people  who  are  not  worth  going  across  the 
street  to  look  at." 


too  UNDER  BLUE  SKIES. 

"  Well,  it  would  spoil  the  surprise,  if  I  told  you,  and 
you  liked  to  be  surprised,  and  it  is  a  difficult  thing  to  one 
of  your  varied  experiences.  Here  it  is  autumn,  and  some 
of  your  friends  have  not  put  ,in  an  appearance  in  the 
city  yet,  and  you,  with  your  busy  brain,  ought  to  be 
calculating  what  has  become  of  them." 

"  I  do  not  think  much  about  people,  who  do  not 
think  of  me.  I  can  assure  you,  that  to  worry  about  the 
moves  of  other  people,  who  are  no  great  benefit  to 
one's  life,  shows  one  to  be  imbecile — but  I  will  be  ready 
to  go  with  you,  according  to  appointment." 

The  next  morning,  Mrs.  Fay  looked  charming  in 
her  lovely  wrap  and  delicate  blue  hat,  as  she  wheeled 
down  the  street  with  Sir  Wallace,  and  came  in  sight  of 
the  steamer's  deck. 

"  Have  you  your  glass,  Beatrice  ?  "  he  asked ;  but 
she  showed  by  her  face  that  she  did  not  need  a  glass  to 
distinguish  who  the  people  were,  who  were  fast  settling 
themselves  to  say  good-bye  to  those  on  shore.  One 
glance  of  her  keen  eyes  and  she  took  in  the  situation, 
and  she  felt  intuitively  that  something  had  come  to  her 
which  would  change  her  entire  destiny.  How  distinctly 
those  people  stood  out  from  all  the  rest  of  the  crowd  in 
her  mental  vision.  Senator  Burleigh  and  George;  Mrs. 
Stanton  and  Marian,  Dr.  Fay  with  Mrs.  Montaigne 
leaning  on  his  arm,  and  little  Flossie. 

"Are  you  ill?"  asked  Sir  Wallace,  suddenly  noticing 
how  rapidly  her  countenance  changed. 

"  Let  us  go  home,"  she  answered,  "  I  do  not  need 
to  stay  here,  to  see  the  sequel  of  this  wonderful  romance." 

"  Why,  what  is  the  matter,  Beatrice  ?     I  call  it  all  a 


UNDER  BLUE  SKIES.  101 

good  joke,  especially  on  you  and  me:  Two  people,  whom 
we  admire  very  much,  are  going  abroad,  and  have  really 
forgotten  to  bid  us  a  sweet  '  good-bye.' ' 

"  Bah  !  don't  talk  in  that  tone — you  irritate  me. 
Tell  me  what,  you  know  about  it." 

"  I  learned  that  your  worthy  uncle  had  married  Mrs. 
Montaigne  ;  of  course,  that  is  a  good  match,  for  she  is 
very  much  of  a  lady,  and  the  little  girl,  Flossie,  is  a 
beauty  and  a  wonder.  You  remember  that  mystic, 
Newell — the  confirmed  old  bachelor,  we  all  thought — he 
has  fallen  in  love  with  a  country  milkmaid  and  is  to 
marry  later."  A  look  of  sarcasm  flitted  over  her  face. 
"  But,  now,"  he  continued,  "  for  the  cream  of  it  all — 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  George  Burleigh  have  separated  !" — this 
time,  a  look  of  real  astonishment  came  into  her  eyes — 
"  but  not  legally  ;  if  they  go  on  mutually  disliking  each 
other  for  two  years  more,  then  the  strong  arm  of  the  law 
will  cut  them  asunder.  And  oh  !  ye  gods!  here  is  the 
farce  following  the  tragedy.  I,  who  was  brought  up  in 
the  Church  of  England,  that  deemed  a  divorce  a  dis 
grace  and  a  crime,  learned  that  this  was  all  brought 
about  by  Mrs.  Burleigh's  father,  a  Unitarian  clergyman, 
who  is  installed  as  pastor  of  a  church  in  a  New  England 
town.  But  about  the  other  parties — Mrs.  Stanton  and 
her  daughter — I  learn  it  was  a  mere  coincidence  their 
sailing  on  the  same  vessel  as  the  others,  not  knowing 
each  other's  plans  until  all  was  arranged." 

"  Oh,  Wallace,  please  stop  !  I  may  look  stupid  this 
morning,  and  am  not  feeling  like  myself,  but  I  am  not 
so  dull  as  to  swallow  a  fish  story  like  that,  and  neither 
are  you.  It  is  simply  a  little  plot,  and  not  a  deep  one 


102  UNDER  BLUE  SKIES. 

either  ;  it  is  as  open  as  the  face  of  that  clock,  that  we 
see  in  the  distance.  Of  course  that  smoothed-faced, 
inanimate  girl  and  her  mother  arranged  it.  It  is  just 
what  you  might  expect  of  a  lackadaisical  kind  of  woman 
like  Marian  Stanton — when  the  world  thinks  they  are 
sleeping,  they  are  generally  wide  awake. 

"Well,  it  may  be  so,  Beatrice,  but  how  do  you 
think  it  will  end?" 

"End?     Why,  in  marriage  between  the  two!" 

"But,  you  know,  Beatrice,  you  have  given  the 
world  a  very  different  idea  about  the  episode  in  George 
Burleigh's  life.  Won't  you  have  to  rewrite  the  whole 
drama,  and  change  your  characters?" 

"  Not  a  bit  of  it,  so  long  as  I  am  not  implicated. 
You  know  my  leading  lady  is  the  widow  Montaigne. 
I  shall  not  change  her,  but  make  her  the  instigator  of 
the  entire  plot." 

"  O,  Beatrice,  you  should  have  been  a  man  and  a 
politician  !  Washington  needs  just  such  brains  as  yours, 
to  fix  matters  comfortable  for  the  rich  and  the  great,  let 
ting  the  poor  and  unprotected  go  to  the  wall;  but  it  looks 
to  me  more  like  a  rebuke  from  nature  herself  to  us  both 
— to  you,  for  misrepresenting  facts  in  life ;  to  me,  for 
being  a  confirmed  roue — that  these  two  people,  whom 
we  would  have  liked  to  have  held  in  our  lives,  have 
quietly  slipped  out  ;  and  you,  in  this  case,  I  believe,  are 
prophetic,  and  the  God  of  love  will  crown  their  lives 
with  marriage  and  happiness." 

That  evening  Mrs.  Fay  sat  long,  seemingly  in  deep 
reflection.  At  last  she  arose  hastily  to  her  feet,  and 
calling  her  French  maid,  Annette,  said  :  "I  want  you 


UNDER  BLUE  SKIES.  103 

to  gather  up  everything  I  possess  that  is  blue,  especially 
the  painting  '  Under  Blue  Skies,'  and  bring  them  all  to 
me."  It  took  some  time  to  do  this,  for  not  only  much  of 
her  wardrobe,  but  many  articles  about  the  room,  and 
ornaments  she  wore  about  her  person  were  of  this  color. 
As  the  autumn  evening  was  chilly,  and  she  had  a  slight 
cough,  she  had  ordered  a  fire  in  the  open  grate.  How 
restless  she  was,  as  she  paced  to  and  fro,  and  how  small 
the  room  seemed  to  her.  "Hasten,  hasten,  Annette! 
How  slow  you  are  !  " 

"  Where  shall  I  place  them  ?  " 
"  Beside  my  easy  chair,  in  front  of  the  grate." 
At  last  they  lay  in  a  heap  beside  her.  How 
much  they  looked  like  the  fleecy  clouds  in  the 
sky,  pinned  here  and  there  with  a  star,  .for  she 
wore  the  most  delicate  shades  of  blue  and  of 
the  most  gauzy  material.  "Thus  I  break  with 
the  past !  "  she  said,  and  one  by  one  the  red  flames 
caught  up  the  articles,  and  like  a  flash  they  were  out  of 
sight  of  the  beholder.  The  last  one  to  burn  was  the 
painting  ;  was  it  the  oil,  or  the  canvas,  that  caused  it  to 
burn  so  slowly  ?  The  odor  that  arose  from  it,  had  a 
sickening  effect ;  the  draught  no  longer  carried  the 
smoke  up  the  chimney,  but  returned  it  into  the  room, 
almost  choking  the  fair  woman  who  looked  on  in  silence. 
At  last,  nothing  remained  but  the  red  coals,  which  shed 
a  lurid  light,  in  which  seemed  to  appear  figures,  that 
linked  her  with  the  past.  There  was  the  face  of  her 
mother,  her  husband  and  her  lover,  for  many  of  the  burnt 
articles  were  gifts  from  these  three,  and  their  spirits 
seemed  to  be  there  witnessing  the  destruction.  She 


104  UNDER  BLUE  SKIES, 

became  so  terrified,  she  could  hardly  breathe.  Annette 
sprang  to  her  side,  asking  what  she  could  do  for  her. 
"  Hand  me  that  bottle  of  morphine  !  you  see  I  cannot 
live  without  it,  I  must  quiet  down." 

"  But  I  would  not  take  so  much,  madam  !  "  said  the 
maid,  noticing  the  large  quantity  she  had  poured  into  the 
glass.  "  I  am  so  afraid  of  those  wicked  drugs,  for  my 
old  grandmother  used  to  say  there  were  twelve  evil 
spirits  linked  to  the  person  who  had  this  habit,  and  who 
would  never  leave  them  until  they  had  their  life." 

A  peal  of  laughter  broke  from  Beatrice's  lips.  "Thus, 
I  pledge  myself  to  the  wicked  twelve  !"  said  she,  hold 
ing  up  the  glass,  "  and  may  I  hold  with  them  high  car 
nival  while  on  earth,  being  ready  to  dance  with  them 
the  diabolical  cotillion  down  below  when  my  time 
shall  come;"  and  drinking  the  contents,  she  tossed  the 
glass  into  the  fire,  shivering  it  to  atoms. 

As  truly  as  one  can  link  themselves  with  higher 
powers,  going  step  by  step  up  the  hill  of  progress,  so  can 
spirits,  embodied  in  flesh,  call  to  their  lives  and  spiritual 
forces,  decarnated  individuals  whose  motives  are  evil, 
proving  to  every  scientific  mind  that  one  does  not  stand 
wholly  alone  in  crime,  and  that  education  and  refinement 
are  the  only  means  of  redeeming  a  criminal  ;  that  in  the 
place  of  the  prison  and  the  gallows,  there  should  be  the 
schoolhouse,  and  the  workshop ;  the  greatest  liberty 
for  the  expansion  of  the  higher  powers,  and  the  least — 
for  the  exercise  of  the  lower.  Children  should  be  taught 
that  while  they  exercise  their  will  power,  it  should  be 
done  with  a  knowledge  of  the  occult  forces  around  them. 
Our  worst  criminals  have  wondered  at  the  rapid  transit 


UNDER  BLUE  SKIES.  105 

of  their  fall,  when  once  given  over  to  evil  ;  and  goodness 
has  a  speedy  return,  when  it  is  purely  unselfish — a  rare 
condition  to  find  in  this  selfish  world  of  ours. 

George  Burleigh  had  every  reason  to  believe  that  a 
person  was  sufficiently  punished  for  all  mistakes  or  sins 
committed  while  in  the  body,  for  it  made  but  little 
difference  what  he  undertook  to  do,  those  who  had  for 
merly  known  him  threw  out  the  impression,  many  times 
unconsciously  to  themselves,  that  he  would  not  apply 
himself  to  any  line  of  business  or  a  profession.  This 
he  keenly  felt,  and  to  make  matters  still  more  trying  to 
himself,  and  a  tendency  to  find  fault  with  his  fate,  he 
had  fallen  deeply  in  love  with  Marian  Stanton. 

This  young  lady  was  unlike  many  around  her,  for 
she  had  the  power,  as  actors  would  say,  "  to  take  in 
the  situation."  Some  would  not  care,  if  they  did  not 
premeditate  a  wrong,  how  the  world  would  judge 
them.  To  avoid  the  appearance  of  evil  she  thoroughly 
believed  in,  for  she  knew  that  the  adder  tongue  of 
scandal  would  wag  many  times  where  people's  motives 
were  good  but  the  appearances  were  the  opposite. 
Leaving  America  on  the  same  vessel  with  her  friend's 
husband,  at  a  time  when  that  friend  was  having  domestic 
trouble,  she  was  well  aware  that  the  motive  would  be 
misunderstood,  and  one  could  not  convince  society  that 
it  was  simply  a  coincidence,  so  the  only  course  for  her 
to  follow  was  to  keep  entirely  aloof  from  him.  This 
was  a  more  difficult  matter  than  she  imagined,  for  the 
two  families  moved  in  the  same  circle,  and  Marian's 
mother  did  not  share  in  her  opinion,  as  her  income 
made  her  independent,  and  she  saw  no  reason  why  she 


io6  UNDER  BLUE  SKIES. 

should   change   her  plans   to    accommodate    society's 
verdict. 

It  has  been  said  by  thorough  readers  of  human 
nature  that  it  is  natural  for  mankind  to  strive  for  the 
unattainable,  and  this  seems  to  apply  to  love  as  well  as 
to  science.  George  could  see  no  reason  why  he  could  not 
fall  in  love,  simply  because  he  had  made  one  terrible 
mistake  in  that  direction.  "  Should  a  man  never  walk 
again  because  he  had  once  broken  a  limb?"  he  thought. 
Miss  Stanton's  beauty,  her  pure  life,  and  love  of  art, 
made  her  popular  everywhere,  and  called  to  her  side 
many  admirers.  It  is  natural  for  most  people  to  be  very 
jealous  when  in  love,  and  the  attention  of  others  made 
him  unhappy,  which  allowed  his  uncle  to  discover  his 
feelings. 

"  George,"  said  the  senator,  "  I  am  not  only  aston 
ished,  but  provoked  at  your  conduct  for  the  last  few 
months  !  " 

"  Why,  uncle?  "  he  asked,  thinking  he  referred  to  his 
gay  life,  and  knowing  he  had  lately  been  a  model  of 
propriety,  in  comparison  to  what  he  had  been,  and  not 
thinking  that  his  uncle  had  divined  his  secret. 

"  Really,  George,  you  have  been  away  from  your 
wife  less  than  a  year,  and  are  not  legally  free,  and  you 
have  made  yourself  quite  conspicuous,  and  must  have 
annoyed  Miss  Stanton  by  your  attention  to  her !  Now, 
explain  yourself!" 

George  flushed  a  deep  red,  and  replied:  "I  think,  Uncle 
Jack,  it  will  be  quite  impossible  for  me  to  do  so  !  One, 
to  hear  you  talk,  uncle,  would  judge  that  I  could  make 
myself  over  at  will,  and  also,  that  one  must  be  eternally 


UNDER  BLUE  SKIES.  107 

punished  for  not  having  the  proper  judgment  to  select 
the  right  companion  for  a  wife  at  first." 

"  You  are  so  impulsive,  George,  and  are  affected  by 
beauty,  that  I  shall  have  no  confidence  in  your  affection 
for  Miss  Stanton  unless  thoroughly  tested." 

"  I  know  what  you  mean,  Uncle  Jack,  but  if  you  knew 
what  I  had  suffered  by  my  past  folly,  you  would  know  I 
could  stand  any  test,  providing  I  thought  my  affections 
were  returned;  but  I  cannot  hope  for  much  in  that 
direction,  for  she  seems  to  look  upon  me  as  the  world 
generally  does — as  though  I  had  committed  an  unpar 
donable  sin." 

"  Well,  well  !  we  will  let  the  matter  drop  now, 
George,  but  hold  a  tight  rein  on  those  impulses  of  yours, 
which  have  deceived  you  once,  and  may  again." 

Mrs.  Stanton  and  Marian  decided  to  leave  London  for 
Italy.  As  time  rolled  on  Mrs.  Stanton  had  observed 
that  her  daughter  seemed  troubled  or  worried  over  some 
secret,  which  she  could  not  win  from  her,  and  thought  a 
change  of  scene  was  necessary. 

Why  is  it,  that  to  some  spots  on  this  earth,  nature 
seems  more  kind  than  to  others,  the  air  more  balmy, 
the  flowers  perpetual?  Italy,  the  land  of  song,  of 
love  and  beauty,  may  have  drawbacks  unseen  to  the 
casual  observer,  to  offset  its  natural  advantages. 

It  was  what  would  be  called  a  glorious  day  here  in 
America  with  its  changeable  climate,  but  was  simply  an 
ordinary  pleasant  day  in  Italy,  and  hardly  that,  for  the 
wind  denoted  a  storm,  when  a  party  of  young  people 
(who  were  travelers  as  were  the  Stantons)  had  arranged 
an  outing,  and  a  sail  on  the  lake.  Of  course,  Marian, 


io8  UNDER  BLUE  SKIES. 

the  "American  beauty,"  was  invited.  A  young  gentle 
man  of  rank  had  been  very  persistent  in  his  attentions 
to  her,  and  was  the  leading  spirit  of  the  party.  He  was 
one  of  that  class  of  persons,  who  would  never  pay  any 
attention  to  [other  people's  advice,  no  matter  how 
superior  their  judgment,  or  how  long  their  experience 
in  comparison  with  his  own.  While  this  may  be  a  very 
happy  disposition  for  the  person,  it  is  many  times  very 
unfortunate  for  others  ;  for  the  man  who  had  charge  of 
the  boats,  remarked:  "  This  is  breezy  weather,  sir,  and  I 
think  you  best  take  a  guide  along  who  knows  our 
waters  well."  "  Oh,  nonsense,"  he  replied,  "  I  have 
never  seen  a  fairer  day  or  a  bluer  sky."  "  Ay,  ay !  " 
said  the  boatman,  "blue  skies  are  like  life — you  never 
know  how  soon  they  may  darken  and  change." 

Regardless  of  the  warning,  the  party  embarked  to 
enjoy  a  thoroughly  good  time.  All  went  merry  until  a 
slight  wind  seemed  to  come  up  so  suddenly,  that  the 
party  felt  chilled  ;  all  exclaimed,  "  Let  us  return,  it  is 
getting  cold."  They  were  nearing  the  shore  when  the 
storm  burstfuriously  upon  them.  Not  every  one  can  man 
age  a  boat,  and  it  was  impossible  with  this  frail  bark, 
especially,  when  the  manager  loses  his  presence  of  mind. 
Marian  and  the  two  young  ladies  were  not  half  so 
frightened  as  the  gentleman  who  was  rowing.  Snap, 
went  one  oar,  and  round  and  round  turned  the  boat. 
"  Hold  fast  to  the  boat,  or  all  our  lost,"  said  Marian; 
"  I  am  sure  I  can  make  my  voice  heard  above  the  wind, 
by  some  one  on  the  shore,  who  can  aid  us."  Out  across 
the  waters  rang  the  sweet  woman's  voice  for  help. 

A  party  of  Americans  had  arrived  that  afternoon,  and 


UNDER  BLUE  SKIES.  109 

among  them  was  George  Burleigh,  who  had  gone  out 
with  the  others  to  watch  the  result  of  the  storm.  How 
quickly  he  knew  that  full,  resonant  tone  ;  and  throwing 
off  coat  and  hat,  he  jumped  into  the  water  just  as  he 
saw  the  boat  upset,  and  the  man  who  should  have  ren 
dered  all  the  assistance  in  his  power,  turned  and  swam 
towards  the  shore  leaving  the  ladies  at  the  mercy  of  the 
waves,  and  Marian  clinging  to  the  boat.  George  was  an 
expert  swimmer  and  struck  out  for  the  one  he  loved, 
but  she  would  not  let  go  of  the  side  of  the  boat  and 
shouted  to  him  to  save  the  other  two  first — who  had 
not  the  strength  to  hold  on  to  the  boat — and  herself  last. 

It  did  not  require  so  much  time  as  it  did  strength  on 
his  part  to  rescue  the  two  ladies,  as  by  this  time  there 
were  plenty  on  the  shore  to  assist  them  when  they 
reached  there  ;  but  the  boat  with  Marian  was  drifting 
farther  and  farther  away  and  her  strength  could  hold 
out  no  longer  and  she  sank  out  of  sight.  George  saw 
that  it  must  be  an  almost  superhuman  effort  on  his  part 
to  swim  rapidly  enough  to  reach  her  by  the  time  she 
arose  to  the  surface  the  second  time.  His  uncle,  who 
had  hastened  to  the  scene  of  the  disaster,  exclaimed, 
with  others,  "You  can't  save  her,  and  you  will  only 
lose  your  own  life  by  trying  ;  "  but  he  paid  no  heed  and 
struck  out  desperately  to  reach  the  side  of  the  woman 
he  loved. 

It  takes  much  longer  than  one  would  imagine, 
with  a  boathouse  locked  and  no  boats  available, 
to  go  to  the  rescue  of  people  in  such  trying  circum 
stances.  A  young  man,  who  had  lived  long  by  the 
water  and  was  not  timid,  at  last  succeeded  in  launching 


no  UNDER  BLUE  SKIES. 

a  boat,  and  started  to  the  assistance  of  George  and 
Marian,  both  of  whose  strength  had  almost  deserted 
them.  As  the  boat  approached  them,  George,  with  the 
instinct  that  characterizes  drowning  persons,  seized  the 
side,  and  with  the  aid  of  the  rescuer,  both  were  soon 
inside  and  shortly  upon  shore. 

The  talk  of  the  hour  was  the  bravery  of  George,  and, 
of  course,  he  was  a  hero  ;  but,  like  all  passionate,  impul 
sive  people,  when  the  reaction  came,  it  was  he  who  was 
sick  and  not  Marian — but  not  seriously. 

Marian's  strongest  peculiarity  was  gratitude,  and  there 
were  plenty  to  tell  her  how  the  young  man  had  risked 
his  life  to  save  her,  and  she  could  not  be  cold  and 
distant  to  such  an  ardent  and  sincere  lover.  George, 
like  most  men  of  his  type,  took  advantage  to  gain  her 
love,  as  she  changed  from  her  former  cold  way  to  one  of 
tenderness,  and  to  make  matters  more  complicated  to 
the  mind  of  Marian,  she  had  received  a  long  letter  from 
her  friend,  Grace,  saying  that  she  should  never  try  to 
unite  herself  with  her  husband  again,  for  she  had  become 
very  much  attached  to  a  young  Unitarian  clergyman, 
and  when  the  time  had  expired — that  she  had  promised 
to  wait — and  she  was  legally  free,  she  should  remarry, 
and  in  conclusion,  she  said:  "If  George  could  only  love 
and  marry  a  woman  like  yourself,  Marian,  I  should  be 
more  than  happy,  for  I  realize  that  he  has  many  noble 
qualities,  and  because  I  cannot  call  them  out  from  his 
nature  does  not  prove  that  no  one  else  can."  Marion 
was  astonished  when  she  read  this  letter  from  her  former 
little  light-hearted  friend,  braving  public  opinion,  which 
she,  herself,  had  quailed  before,  determined  to  crush  out 


UNDER  BLUE  SKIES.  ui 

this  love  which  she  had  long  experienced  for  him,  rather 
than  to  meet  public  censure. 

It  is  circumstances,  which  are  thrown  around  people, 
that  push  them  into  the  whirlpool  of  love  and  passion, 
over  which  they  have  no  control.  There  was  surely  no 
premeditation  on  the  part  of  Marian  to  be  thus 
influenced  by  the  love  of  her  life ;  but  reason  seemed 
to  be  paralyzed;  for,  if  she  had  used  it,  she  would  have 
realized  that  the  object  of  her  affections  was  not  situated 
in  her  own  eyes  or  the  eyes  of  the  world,  as  he  should 
be ;  was  he  not  bound  by  the  chains  of  custom,  fashion 
and  law? — and  to  be  in  them  was  slavery,  as  much  as 
ever  bound  the  black  man  in  the  South.  True,  the 
time  may  come,  she  had  theorized,  when  a  man  or 
woman  divorced,  would  not  be  looked  upon  as  a 
criminal  in  the  eyes  of  the  world,  but  the  people  who 
hugged  their  chains  and  were  slaves  to  a  custom  and 
lived  in  conditions  that  demoralized  them  and  held  them 
in  sin,  would  be  the  ones  who  would  meet  the  condem 
nation  of  every  thoughtful  mind ;  but  it  was  not  so 
to-day  and  how  could  she  so  have  forgotten  the  fact, 
and  allowed  Cupid  to  play  such  pranks  with  her? 
Human  resolutions  and  plans  are  many  times  like 
feathers,  the  breath  that  blows  them  hither  and  thither 
comes  from  a  source  we  cannot  see,  and  we  wonder  at 
the  results.  No  two  persons  could  be  more  thoroughly 
in  love  or  abandon  themselves  to  the  passion  than 
Marian  and  George ;  on  her  part  it  seemed  a  reaction 
from  cold  formality  to  genial  affection,  and  George, 
like  the  majority  of  men,  cared  but  little  for  the  world's 
opinion  when  it  interfered  with  his  strongest  desires. 


H2  UNDER  BLUE  SKIES. 

One  bright  morning  we  find  our  American  friends 
seated  looking  out  upon  the  blue  waters  of  the  lake. 
Mrs.  Stanton  and  Senator  Burleigh  had  always  been 
the  best  of  friends  ;  in  fact,  it  was  one  of  that  kind  of 
platonic  friendships  that  were  rarely  commented  upon 
and  never  criticized.  It  was  generally  understood  that 
neither  wished  to  marry,  and  no  two  people  could 
sympathize  more  thoroughly  with  each  other  than  they, 
for  those  they  loved  were  in  the  spirit  side  of  life.  Mrs. 
Stanton  could  see  the  practical  side  of  human  nature  as 
well  as  the  spiritual,  and  many  long  and  pleasant  talks 
they  had  had  together  concerning  the  important  ques 
tion,  "  Does  death  end  all  ?  " — and  while  the  senator 
would  hurl  an  avalanche  of  materialistic  ideas  at  her, 
enough  to  confuse  an  ordinary  brain,  Mrs.  Stanton, 
woman-like,  would  always  wind  up  with  the  remark, 
"You  will  be  convinced  some  day." 

This  morning,  before  the  young  people  had  appeared 
upon  the  scene,  they  had  been  trying  to  solve  the  rid 
dle,  of  the  affection  between  her  daughter  and  his 
nephew,  and  had  been  far  from  arriving  at  a  conclusion  ; 
but  now,  as  George  and  Marian  appeared,  looking  so 
young,  happy  and  hopeful,  these  two  who  had  had  their 
experiences  in  the  years  agone,  had  not  the  heart  to 
rebuke  them.  George  proposed  to  take  a  row  with 
Marian,  just  to  show  to  the  people  that  if  they  had  been 
in  danger,  they  were  not  afraid  of  the  lake  \\hen  wind 
and  wave  were  right.  Mrs.  Stanton  at  first  demurred, 
but  the  senator  agreed  with  the  young  people,  that  the 
lake  could  be  compared  to  life, — that  there  could  be 
pleasure  and  sunshine,  even  if  there  had  been  storm  and 


UNDER  BLUE  SKIES.  113 

disaster.  They  had  agreed  to  row  near  the  shore,  and 
as  they  did  so,  a  little  girl  selling  flowers  called  out  in 
her  rich,  musical  voice,  "Violets  !  Violets  !"  and  seemed 
much  astonished  at  the  amount  of  coin  that  George 
threw  at  her  feet,  and  thought  she  must  return  an  equal 
amount  of  flowers  ;  so  she  tossed  bunch  after  bunch  into 
the  boat  until  Marian  was  almost  covered  with  the  beau 
tiful,  blue  flowers,  and  many  of  them  floated  on  the 
water  beside  the  boat. 

"  Oh,  look,  Senator  Burleigh  !  "  exclaimed  Mrs.  Stan- 
ton  ;  "  where  have  we  seen  this  scene  before  ?  It  is  the 
same,  and  still  not  the  same." 

"  I  think,"  said  he,  "that if  in  place  of  the  brunette, 
you  had  a  blonde,  you  would  see  once  more  the  same 
scene  as  in  Mrs.  Fay's  painting,  '  Under  Blue  Skies.'  ' 

"  Yes,  that  is  it ;  the  boat,  the  flowers,  the  lovers  and 
the  skies.  Someone  has  remarked  that  nature  is  always 
trying  to  repeat  itself,  but  I  never  expected  to  see  it  in 
art!  " 

"  Well,  I  at  once  recognized  the  scene,"  he  answered  ; 
"  but  there  is  a  great  difference  in  the  characters — and  it 
brings  the  thought  to  my  mind  quite  forcibly,  that  it 
makes  all  the  difference  in  the  world,  the  kind  of  a  woman 
that  is  in  the  boat  of  a  man's  life.  If  I  have  been 
informed  correctly — and  I  think  I  have — Beatrice  Fay 
crushed  out  the  soul  of  Jerome  Gerard,  and  ruined  his 
life.  Your  daughter,  my  dear  friend,  will  resurrect  the 
soul  of  my  nephew,  and  beautify  his  life.  No  matter 
how  blue  the  skies,  or  fair  the  scene,  our  destinies  are 
made  up  and  controlled  from  the  powers  within,  and  not 
from  the  power  without." 


114  UNDER  BLUE  SKIES. 

Boston  society  has  been  much  admired  by  other  cities 
for  its  exclusive  culture  and  refinement  of  manners 
which  one  fails  to  see  even  among  the  creme  de  la  creme 
elsewhere.  But  like  everything  overdrawn  in  life,  it 
becomes  most  unnatural  at  times,  for  the  very  refine 
ment  will  not  allow  any  radical  moves  on  the  part  of 
those  who  are  once  initiated  into  its  circles. 

Beatrice  Fay  had  gone  rapidly  down  the  hill,  morally, 
in  the  last  year.  It  requires  but  little  argument  to  prove 
that  a  woman  will  stoop  to  do  things  in  the  way  of  vice 
and  crime,  which  a  man  would  shrink  from  doing.  Why, 
do  you  ask  ?  Because  she  knows  so  far  as  the  world 
goes,  her  character  is  irredeemable  ;  if  she  keeps  her 
head  above  the  waters  of  fashionable  life — if  her  ways  are 
evil — she  must  do  so  by  bold  measures,  or  else  with  the 
subtle  cunning  of  a  devil.  There  were  many  wives  and 
mothers  who  shuddered  when  she  entered  their  homes, 
for  they  knew  it  was  like  the  trail  of  a  serpent,  but  what 
could  they  do  ?  What  had  she  done  ?  Nothing  that  was 
publicly  known,  and  to  slander  her  would  do  no  good, 
for  they  realized  that  with  such  a  weapon  as  that,  Mrs. 
Fay  would  turn  it  sharply  against  them  ;  so  the  sword 
of  society,  which  is  calumny,  would  have  to  lie  rusty  in 
its  scabbard  so  far  as  she  was  concerned.  But  there  was 
one  point,  however,  that  all  observed,  and  were  not  slow 
to  point  out  to  her  gentleman  admirers,  and  that  was  her 
rapidly  failing  health.  Men  do  not,  as  a  usual  thing, 
tolerate  sickly  women  to  amuse  themselves  with — they 
hear  enough  of  aches  and  pains,  from  wives,  sisters  and 
mothers,  and  many  of  those  troubles,they  have  but  little 
sympathy  with,  for  they  think  they  are  purely  of  the 


UNDER  BLUE  SKIES.  115 

nervous  order.  Oxygen,  which  they  breathe,  when 
attending  to  business  saves  them  from  many  ills  which  the 
flesh  is  heir  to;  but  they  are  quite  conceited  about  the 
matter,  and  think  it  is  their  superior  knowledge  of  life 
and  health  which  causes  them  to  have  such  a  strong 
nervous  system. 

Beatrice  Fay  never  complained  and  was  always  gay, 
brilliant,  and  apparently  happy ;  only  occasionally  did 
she  seem  to  reflect,  and  that  was  when  she  and  Sir 
Wallace  Reynolds  had  a  confidential  talk  together, 
which  was  now  quite  a  rare  occurrence.  One  afternoon 
in  the  beautiful  spring,  she  had  been  listening  to  the 
news  from  him,  and  seemed  to  take  it  as  a  matter  of 
course,  until  he  spoke  about  the  Burleigh  affairs. 

"  Why,  Beatrice,  I  have  just  learned  of  George  Bur- 
leigh's  wife  remarrying,  and  of  course  the  engagement 
of  George  and  Marian  Stanton  will  follow,  as  they  are 
both  in  Europe.  And,  by  Jove,  Bee,  you  were  right 
about  those  people  after  all !  I  do  believe  it  was  a 
scheme  put  up  by  that  wily  senator  and  Mrs.  Stanton 
to  secure  a  good  match  for  their  two  heirs-at-law." 

"Of  course,  I  was  right,"  she  replied;  "  and  now, 
Wallace,  be  frank  and  tell  me  your  plans,  for  I  know 
you  are  up  to  something  of  late  ;  in  fact,  I  am  wonder 
ing  how  long  this  strain  of  morality  will  last." 

"  I  will  tell  you,  Beatrice.  I  am  going  to  change  my 
mode  of  life,  and  settle  squarely  down.  Living  so  long 
in  this  country  I  have  imbibed  many  of  the  American 
customs,  and  I  am  beginning  to  think  there  is  no  greater 
hell  than  to  be  obliged,  year  in  and  year  out,  to  kill  time." 

"  Why  don't  you  study  to  be  a  clergyman,  Wallace  ?  " 


H6  UNDER  BLUE  SKIES. 

"  Oh,  that  would  be  about  the  thing  I  follow  now, 
only  I  would  have  to  take  upon  myself  a  greater  amount 
of  care,  for  all  the  sport  I  could  enjoy  would  have  to  be 
taken  on  the  sly.  I  fear  I  have  not  the  respect  for  the 
cloth  that  I  was  educated  to  have.  No,  I  am  not  going 
to  aspire  to  anything  in  the  professional  line.  Mrs. 
Hale  has  lost  her  agent  in  New  York,  who  has  looked 
after  her  property  and  I  have  accepted  the  position  at  a 
good  salary  ;  and,  furthermore,  she  has  offered  to  give 
me  a  home  with  her;' in  other  words,  she  has  really 
adopted  me." 

Mrs.  Fay  looked  at  him  in  a  strange  and  startled 
manner,  which  gradually  became  one  of  extreme  con 
tempt.  "Ah,  you  will  then  leave  Boston?" 

"  Yes,  a  little  later  !  " 

Who  could  divine  what  was  passing  in  this  woman's 
mind  ?  Surely,  the  man  beside  her  could  not  ;  if  he 
could  have  had  that  power  he  would  not  have  so  willingly 
acceded  to  the  request  she  now  expressed  to  him. 

"  Well,  Wallace,  I  have  little  to  say  about  any 
one's  plans  in  life  ;  every  one  ought  to  know  what 
is  best  for  them  to  do  ;  advice  from  a  friend,  no 
matter  how  sincere  it  may  be,  has  many  times  injured 
the  one  it  was  intended  to  help,  oftener  than  the 
contrary.  I  have  a  notion  this  morning,  which  will 
no  doubt  surprise  you,  as  I  am  not  looked  upon  as 
a  woman  with  the  least  bit  of  sentiment.  To-morrow, 
you  know  is  Memorial  Day,  and  I  want  to  go  out 
to  my  husband's  grave,  and  carry  some  flowers,  and  I 
would  like  to  have  you  purchase  them  for  me.  See, 
here  is  my  purse ;  don't  be  sparing,  but  bring  them 


UNDER  BLUE  SKIES.  117 

to-morrow  at  ten  o'clock,  and  we  will  drive  out  there. 
My  wretched  cough  is  so  bad,  I  do  not  feel  like  buying 
the  flowers  ;  the  east  winds  of  Boston  are  like  ones  ene 
mies — they  find  you  out  and  make  you  uncomfortable. 
Now,  will -you  go,  Wallace?  " 

"Why,  of  course,  Beatrice  ;  but,  do  you  feel  well 
enough?  " 

"  Never  mind  about  that ;  I  will  go,  as  children  say, 
'  living  or  dead,'  so  remember  the  day  and  hour." 

This  conversation  gave  her  a  feverish  excitement, 
which  made  her  look  so  badly,  that  Sir  Wallace  called 
for  a  glass  of  wine  for  her,  which  she  drank  eagerly. 

"  Beatrice,  why  don't  you  take  better  care  of  your 
self?" 

"  Please  tell  me  why  I  should  ?"  she  answered.  "Who 
cares  for  me  ?  No  one  !  so  don't  give  it  a  moment's 
thought.  Any  one  who  has  moved  in  society  ten  years 
with  their  eyes  open,  will  lose  all  conceit  about  love  and 
friendship  being  eternal  !  I  will  rely  on  you,  nevertheless, 
to  carry  out  this  foolish  fancy  of  mine.  Poor  Fred," 
she  murmured — •"  he  loved  flowers,  and  he  loved  me — 
two  very  perishable  things  to  cling  to  in  this  life  ;  and  I 
— well,  I  grow  weak  and  sentimental,  I  do  believe,  as  I 
lose  my  vitality ;  but  I  must  go  and  rest,  so  au  revoir 
till  to-morrow." 

As  she  departed  she  left  a  peculiar  influence  over  the 
mind  of  Sir  Wallace.  He  could  not  understand  this* 
strange  freak  of  hers  ;  he  never  did  have  much  compre 
hension  of  her  nature.  "Well,"  he  said  to  himself, 
•"as  I  am  about  to  break  all  old  ties  which  have  bound 
me,  I  don't  know  of  any  better  wsy  to  commence,  than 


n8  UNDER  BLUE  SKIES. 

by  taking  this  melancholy  ride  to  the  grave  of  my  for 
mer  sweetheart's  husband,  and  cover  it  over  with  flowers 
— a  grim  sarcasm  upon  the  gayeties  of  life,  I  must  con 
fess." 

Some  say  that  a  woman  of  the  world  never  reflects, 
and  a  man  very  rarely.  Left  alone,  Sir  Wallace  found 
himself  thrown  into  a  deep  reverie;  and  so  keenly  did 
life  appear  to  him  from  an  external  point  of  view  that  he 
voiced  his  own  reflections.  "  A  woman  should  never 
become  dissipated ;  they  don't  know  where  to  stop. 
Yes,  a  woman  should  be  pure,  even  as  the  angels  in 
heaven  are.  I  suppose,"  he  thought,  "  that  in  order  to 
have  her  blend  more  perfectly  with  one  of  the  impure 
specimens  of  mankind  called  a  frouc,J  that  she  must  have 
no  knowledge  of  the  world  and  its  vices.  When  purity 
and  vice  meet  in  such  a  unison,  how  the  angels  must 
rejoice  over  the  harmony  it  produces.  But  men  are  not 
entirely  at  fault  over  the  existing  customs  ;  they  will 
never  change  their  habits,  so  long  as  society  does  not 
condemn  their  vices,  or  bar  the  doors  of  homes  against 
them.  To  educate  the  moral  standard  of  men,  one 
needs  to  shock  them,  by  the  world  becoming  so  lenient 
toward  the  vices  of  women,  that  men  can  see  by  obser 
vation  the  extremes  of  sin  and  thus  reform  themselves." 

Sir  Wallace  kept  on  with  his  reflections,  and  so  earnest 
did  he  become  that  one  would  almost  think  he  had  an 
'audience  ;  and  perhaps  he  did — of  disembodied  spirits 
— for  mankind  communicates  and  deals  with  beings  of 
that  order  more  than  they  imagine.  "  Look  at  Mrs. 
Fay,  for  instance ;  it  is  not  wine,  flirtation  or  late 
nights,  which  is  killing  her;  it  is,  I  believe,  morphine 


UNDER  BLUE  SKIES.  119 

for  she  could  not  keep  up  upon  any  ordinary  stimulant. 
The  way  she  carries  on  her  intrigues  astonishes  the 
most  blase  of  us  ;  wine,  perhaps,  would  make  her 
coarse,  but  morphine  makes  her  vicious.  Who  is  it  that 
says  'There  is  a  spark  of  divinity  in  us  all?'  I  must 
allow  there  is  a  little  in  Beatrice,  by  remembering  her 
dead  young  husband  after  years  of  forgetfulness,  and  I 
will  attend  to  her  request — but,  somehow,  I  feel  she  will 
not  have  many  opportunities  to  make  many  demands 
upon  mytime  in  the  future,  when  I  am  once  settled  as  a 
thorough  New  York  business  man." 

We  always  think,  when  nature  smiles  upon  us,  and 
the  sun  (that  orb  that  has  received  so  much  worship  in 
ages  past)  beams  brightly,  that  there  never  should  have 
been  introduced  into  this  world  the  angel  of  sorrow, 
accompanied  by  that  grim  monster — Death!  We  have 
many  times  said  to  ourselves,  if  we  had  been  the 
maker  and  designer  of  all  life,  death,  at  least,  would 
have  been  left  out  of  the  plan.  Mankind  does  not  take 
kindly  to  the  great  lesson  of  opposites.  He  thinks  he 
could  appreciate  joy  without  suffering  pain,  and  he 
cannot  comprehend,  by  reason  alone,  why  all  things  in 
nature  must  die  in  order  to  live  again  in  a  new  form, 
proving  conclusively  that  finite  mind  cannot  compre 
hend  infinitude. 

This  particular  morning  of  our  story,  Sir  Wallace 
Reynolds  felt  unusually  happy,  just  as  if  a  load  of  care 
had  been  removed,  an-d  as  he  walked  down  the  street, 
if  it  had  not  seemed  vulgar,  he  would  have  whistled  a 
tune  as  he  was  wont  to  do  in  his  boyhood  days.  At 
the  florist's  he  selected  many  rare  and  beautiful  flowers, 


120  UNDER  BLUE  SKIES. 

and  even  went  so  far  as  to  have  a  set  piece  arranged  in 
violets  and  smilax,  with  the  word  "  Remembrance" — and 
as  the  frosts  of  declining  years  crept  over  his  head,  he 
often  remarked,  that  on  this  occasion  he  must  have 
been  impressed  by  some  power  outside  of  himself. 

When  he  arrived  at  the  hotel  he  found  Mrs.  Fay's 
maid,  Annette,  awaiting  for  him,  who  said  "  she  had 
not  seen  her  mistress  this  morning,  but  had  received 
orders  from  her  last  night  that  he  was  to  take  the 
flowers  to  her  room  personally,  to  see  if  they  met  with 
her  approval."  It  was  but  the  work  of  a  moment  to 
return  to  the  carriage,  and  taking  all  the  flowers  he 
could  conveniently  carry  he  returned.  On  entering,  he 
did  not  at  once  sense  that  awful  stillness,  which  once 
experienced,  can  never  be  forgotten.  "Why,  Beatrice  ! 
not  up  yet  ? "  and  he  stepped  lightly  to  the  bedside, 
only  to  start  back  with  horror  at  the  sight.  "  Oh, 
Annette!  Annette!  come  quickly,  she  is  dead!"  he 
shouted,  and  without  a  thought  of  what  he  was  doing, 
he  placed  the  flowers  in  their  beautiful  profusion  upon 
the  bed  beside  her.  "  Go  telephone  for  a  doctor, 
quick  ! "  The  maid  did  not  move,  but  kept  repeating, 
"  Mon  Dieu  !  won  Dieu  !" — so  he  was  obliged  to  do  the 
errand  himself. 

It  did  not  take  long  in  this  case  for  the  white-haired 
physician  to  find  the  cause  of  her  death,  which  is  very 
liable  to  be  far  from  accurate  in  many  cases.  "  An 
overdose  of  morphine,  sir ;  whether  intentional  or 
not,  God  only  knows!  Now,  take  my  advice,"  he 
continued,  laying  his  hand  on  the  arm  of  the  now 
truly  sorrowful  man,  "  don't  look  into  it  too  deeply  ; 


UNDER  BLUE  SKIES.  121 

my  certificate    will    read    '  heart  failure.'      Just    notify 
friends  !  " 

The  conclusion  and  advice  awoke  all  the  dormant  facul 
ties  of  Sir  Wallace,  and  he  realized  now  all  that  Beatrice 
Fay  had  foreseen,  when  she  asked  him  to  go  to  the 
cemetery  with  her.  She  took  this  way  to  bring  the 
fact  to  his  mind,  that  she  depended  upon  him  to  go 
with  her  dead  body  to  that  place  and  perform  the  last 
rites  one  can  bestow  upon  those  connected  with  us  in 
life.  A  cablegram  to  the  uncle  abroad  in  regard  to 
disposing  of  the  effects  of  the  deceased,  and  a  despatch 
to  Mrs.  Dumont  Hale  completed  the  business. 

People  think,  and  with  good  reason,  that  there  is  little 
or  no  feeling  among  society  people,  but  in  this  case  they 
would  have  been  disappointed,  for  no  mother  could 
have  done  more  for  her  own  child  than  Mrs.  Hale  did 
for  her  dead  friend,  and  when  she  returned  to  her  car 
riage  after  the  services  she  remarked  to  Sir  Wallace : 
*'  Do  you  know,  Beatrice  did  look  beautiful  in  that 
casket.  Just  as  she  did  when  she  was  young,  in  that 
painting  that  I  gave  her,  'Under  Blue  Skies.1  I  had 
such  a  strange  dream  about  her  and  that  picture  the 
night  that  she  died.  I  thought  that  she  went  up  out  of 
my  sight  in  a  bright  flame  of  fire,  and  all  those  beau 
tiful  things  that  Annette  says  she  burned  one  night — I 
could  see  them  all,  one  by  one,  go  up  in  the  flames 
with  her,  and  I  said  the  next  morning  it  was  a  bad 
omen — and  it  was.  We  cannot  afford  to  lose  such 
women  as  she — so  bright  and  witty,  for  we  are  awfully 
tame  in  society,  are  we  not,  Sir  Wallace?"  and  she 
tapped  his  arm  lovingly. 


122  UNDER  BLUE  SKIES. 

"  Tame  ?  Society  women,  tame  ?  That  does  not 
express  it !  As  I  look  at  them  now,  they  just  miss 
being  idiots  !  " 

Dr.  Fay  directed  Mrs.  Hale  to  dispose  of  Beatrice's 
personal  effects  as  she  deemed  best,  and,  with  the 
exception  of  a  few  keepsakes,  she  gave  them  all  to 
Annette,  who  made  a  cross  and  declared  that  they  were 
too  nice  for  her,  and  she  would  sell  them,  simply  keep 
ing  enough  for  her  dot  when  she  returned  to  sunny 
France  to  be  married  ;  but  the  rest  of  the  money,  it 
should  go  for  prayers  to  help  her  kind  mistress'  soul 
through  purgatory.  It  would  have  been  useless  argu 
ing  the  question  with  this  girl  that  there  was  no  use 
praying  for  the  dead.  Her  quick  French  mind  saw  the 
point  that  then  it  would  be  no  use  praying  for  the 
living,  and  who  dare  say  that  prayer,  does  not  at  times 
raise  many  a  poor,  down-cast  heart  ?  Mrs.  Hale 
thought  it  her  duty  to  say  something  in  an  orthodox 
way  of  the  foolishness  of  such  an  act,  but  Annette 
would  only  reply  :  "They  are  either  alive,  or  they  are 
not,  and  the  father  of  our  church  has  told  me  many 
times  that  we  live  beyond  the  grave,  and  I  will  do  all  I 
can  to  make  my  mistress'  stay  in  the  dark  passages  of 
purgatory  as  easy  as  possible,  by  prayers  of  the 
faithful." 

A  superstition,  do  you  say  ?  Yes,  doubtless  ;  but 
truly  more  reasonable  than  the  cold,  stern  theology 
which  lays  their  loved  ones  away  with  the  feeling  that 
not  even  a  prayer  can  reach  them  ;  that  they  go  at 
once  to  eternal  bliss,  as  a  recompense  for  their  belief,  or 
at  once  into  the  realms  of  eternal  torment,  for  not 


UNDER  BLUE  SKIES.  123 

accepting  the  dogmas   of  an  impossible  and  ridiculous 

religion. 

*  * 
* 

It  is  a  fortunate  thing  in  this  age  of  the  world  tha 
occasionally  one  can  see  a  happy,  affectionate  couple  in 
married  life ;  where  there  are  children,  which  is  the 
cause  many  times  in  binding  people  more  closely 
together,  it  is  not  such  a  rare  occurrence  as  where  there 
are  none  ;  but  if  one  could  not  sight  now  and  then 
happiness  in  the  conjugal  state,  the  tendency  to  single 
blessedness  would  be  greater  than  it  is  at  the  present 
time.  It  is  not  an  unusual  thing  to  hear  the  youths  of 
the  nineteenth  century  declare  that  marriage  is  a  failure. 
Men  and  women  many  times  say  one  can  have  much 
more  to  do  with  for  themselves  if  they  remain  single, 
and  greater  freedom,  and  not  that  eternal  catering  to 
one,  who  in  nine  cases  out  often,  is  totally  unlike  them 
selves,  in  taste  and  disposition.  People  grow  selfish  and 
skeptical,  and  when  they  do  come  in  contact  with  a 
happy  married  couple,  who  have  been  so  for  a  number 
of  years,  it  is  a  surprise  to  them,  and  really  a  delight. 
If  old,  they  feel  young  again,  and  recall  how  pleased 
they  used  to  feel  over  the  first  flowers  of  spring,  when 
they  found  one  unexpectedly  in  their  pathway. 

Leland  Newell  and  his  wife,  Amelia,  were  singled 
out  as  a  model  couple.  While  extremely  fond  of  one 
another  and  their  interests  identical,  still  they  were 
thoroughly  alive  in  public  work,  and  as  interested  in 
other  people's  lives  as  if  they  were  their  nearest  kin. 

Marriage  with  them  had  fully  proved  that  love  is 
the  great  redeeming  element  of  life,  and  that  humanity 


124  UNDER  BLUE  SKIES. 

could  not  have  too  much  of  its  power,  providing  it  came 
to  them  purely  and  naturally.  To  make  other  people 
happy  because  they  were  happy  seemed  their  greatest 
life  work.  Aunt  Jerusha  had  frequently  remarked  that 
she  thought  they  were  a  little  "too  soft,"  and  she  had 
said  to  Nancy  Ann  Jones  that  it  was  her  opinion,  to  make 
marriage  a  success,  that  one  should  be  older  than  the 
other,  consequently  would  know  more  of  life  and  could 
lead  the  other  along  with  the  halter  of  matrimony — 
which  she  would  not  have  around  her  neck  for  no 
amount  of  money.  She  said  it  did  not  make  any  differ 
ence  which  was  the  older  of  the  two — the  man  or  the 
woman — so  long  as  it  mixed  a  little  common  sense  into 
the  business.  She  liked  to  have  it  occur  on  the  woman's 
side  once  in  a  while  to  even  up  social  life,  which  to  her 
was  unjust,  and  many  times  right  down  mean  towards 
her  own  sex.  She  had  a  great  deal  of  respect  for 
Leland  Newell,  but  not  one  bit  for  his  religion,  and 
when  he  asked  the  privilege  of  opening  up  the  grand 
old  parlor  at  Burleigh  Place  fora  large  circle  or  seance, 
as  it  was  fashionable  to  call  them,  she  reluctantly 
consented.  Amelia  was  enthusiastic  and  told  her  she 
would  doubtless  see  wonders,  as  they  were  expecting 
several  prominent  mediums  from  Boston,  and  if  they 
could  not  produce  wonders  in  mediumship,  where  the 
very  air  one  breathes  is  full  of  occultism,  then  it  would 
be  useless  to  look  for  them  in  any  other  city.  Of  course 
it  would  not  do  to  slight  anyone  who  was  inclined  to 
open  the  door  of  their  souls  for  angel  visitants  to  take  a 
seat  therein,  and  many  were  invited  who  had  just  given 
themselves  up  to  a  power  outside  of  their  own  individu- 


UNDER  BLUE  SKIES.  125 

ality  which  they  did  not  fully  understand,  and  the 
control  was  imperfect. 

When  all  had  gathered,  and  formed  themselves  into  a 
horseshoe  circle,  and  the  singing  commenced,  Jerusha 
put  on  her  strongest  glasses,  and  sat  upright  and  prim, 
awaiting  results — which  would  remind  one  of  a  cat 
watching  a  mouse.  A  medium  from  the  classic  city  arose 
and  with  eyes  looking  heavenward,  spoke  long  and  elo 
quently  upon  the  law  of  harmony,  the  exercise  of  which 
was  so  necessary  to  those  who  had  passed  through  the 
thin  veil  of  immortality.  For  a  while  all  were  silent, 
when  a  loud  Indian  warwhoop  resounded  through  the 
room  ;  it  seemed  to  be  a  signal  for  many  mediums  to 
give  up  to  their  familiar  spirits,  and  soon  there  was  a 
chatter  in  the  Indian  tongue,  and  it  so  disgusted  Jerusha, 
that  she  would  express  herself  in  regard  to  her  feelings 
toward  the  red  savages. 

"Why,  Amelia!"  said  she,  in  a  loud  whisper, 
"I  wouldn't  let  such  tramps  as  Indians  into  this 
house  if  they  were  alive,  and  you  know  I  wouldn't; 
and  why  should  I  be  pleased  to  see  them  because 
they  are  dead  ?  I  don't  know  but  I  like  a  dead  Indian 
better  than  a  live  one,  but  I  can't  see  what  good  they 
can  do  for  anyone." 

"They  are  nearer  the  earth,  madam,"  said  a  fair- 
haired  young  man  who  had  overheard  Jerusha' s  whisper, 
"  and  when  they  passed  from  earth,  had  no  religious  pre 
judices  to  prevent  them  from  returning,  and  can  control 
mediums  easier." 

"  You  may  be  right,  about  their  being  nearer  the 
earth,"  answered  Jerusha;  "for  a  tribe  came  along  here 


126  UNDER  BLUE  SKIES. 

last  summer,  and  were  a  dirty-looking  set.  I  never  heard 
of  them  controlling  anyone — only  by  the  use  of  the 
tomahawk." 

"  Don't  you  think,"  inquired  Amelia,  "that  it  was 
their  complexion  that  made  them  so  dark  ?  One  is  not 
to  blame  for  that,  unless  they  make  one  for  themselves, 
that  God  has  not  given  them." 

A  lady  present  spoke  up  sharply  to  Amelia  :  "One 
has  as  good  a  right  to  make  a  complexion  as  they  have 
teeth  or  hair  !  " 

But  no  one  took  up  the  discussion,  so  more  singing  was 
called  for,  and  loud  raps  were  heard  ;  lights  flashed,  and 
tests  were  given  profusely,  but  none  that  satisfied  Jerusha, 
who  persisted  in  asking  every  spirit  who  came,  how  old 
they  were  when  they  died,  and  where  they  were  buried, 
and  if  they  could  not  answer  or  give  their  name,  she  said 
that  dying  had  made  fools  of  them,  and  completely 
destroyed  their  memory.  All  look  shocked  at  such  out 
spoken  remarks,  and  it  was  a  relief  when  it  was 
announced  that  a  great  medium  would  go  under  control; 
and  when  they  declared  that  he  would  do  all  the  mir 
acles  that  Christ  performed,  the  interest  became  intense. 
Jerusha  watched  with  eager  eyes,  for  surely  something 
was  going  to  happen  unusual.  He  soon  went  into  a 
series  of  contortions,  and  when  he  threw  back  his  head, 
and  opened  his  mouth  wide,  and  turned  purple,  Jerusha 
darted  from  the  room,  and  when  she  returned  the  lights 
had  been  lowered,  so  no  one*  could  see  exactly  just 
what  she  was  doing.  The  medium  was  cold,  and  rigid, 
and  they  soon  heard  a  gurgle  followed  by  a  scream  from 
the  medium,  and  Jerusha's  voice  exclaiming,  "You're 


UNDER  BLUE  SKIES.  127 

all  right,  now  !  "  She  had  put  down  his  throat  a  spoon 
ful  of  "hot  drops,"  which  she  always  had  on  hand  in 
case  of  sickness. 

"  What  is  the  matter?"  everyone  asked. 

As  soon  as  the  medium  could  speak,  he  gasped — 
"  I'm  dying  !" 

"  I  thought  so,"  said  Jerusha,  "  when  I  went  out ;  but  I 
can  tell  you  all,  that  I  know  fits  and  shocks  when  I  see 
people  have  them.  Don't  you  be  scart,"  she  con 
tinued,  shaking  him  vigorously;  "you  will  be  all  right 
soon  ;  your  stomach  was  upset.  I  thought  so  when  I 
saw  how  yellow  you  looked.  No  spirits  about  it.  I'm 
not  so  sure,  but  some  spirits  taken  internally  would  do 
you  good,  say  rum,  sulphur  and  molasses  taken  in  the 
spring." 

Some  present  laughed,  others  were  angry,  especially 
the  medium  who  had  talked  so  eloquently  about  divine 
harmony  ;  she  was  so  very  angry  that  she  exclaimed 
she  "did  not  believe  in  allowing  an  orthodox  old  maid 
to  attend  a  circle."  This  did  not  please  another  lady, 
who  would  not  see  forty  again,  who  told  this  medium 
emphatically  "that  it  was  better  to  be  an  old  maid 
than  to  have  six  husbands  and  not  live  with  one  of 
them." 

Above  the  confusion,  the  voice  of  the  great  medium 
arose,  saying  that  the  conditions  were  broken  for  that 
evening,  and  thought  it  best  to  adjourn  to  some  future 
time  and  place,  for  he  could  truly  say  that  there  was 
not  a  particle  of  skin  left  upon  his  throat  or  stomach. 
Nancy  Ann  Jones  said  she  would  be  pleased  to  have 
them  come  to  her  house,  and  she  would  see  that  no  dis- 


ia8  UNDER  BLUE  SKIES. 

believers  would  be  allowed  to  attend — and  she  looked 
hard  at  Jerusha.  Leland  Newell  and  his  wife  poured  oil 
on  the  troubled  waters  ;  and  Jerusha,  who  had  no  bad 
motive  in  all  her  eccentric  ways,  said  she  had  prepared 
a  nice  luncheon  for  them,  and  if  the  medium  would  eat 
some  of  her  peaches  and  new  sweet  cream,  his  stomach 
would  feel  better;  and  she  thought  they  would  enjoy 
something  to  eat  after  having  such  a  hard  time  wrestling 

with  the  spirits. 

*  * 

* 

Single  people  theorize  much  more  about  the  affairs  of 
life  than  married  ones,  simply  because  they  have  more 
time  to  observe  and  remember  their  observations. 
When  one  hears  bachelors  and  old  maids  discuss  the 
problems  of  domestic  economy,  how  to  rear  and  edu 
cate  children,  one  would  judge  that  they  knew  from 
actual  experience ;  but  in  fact,  they  only  know  by  theo 
rizing  from  cause  to  effect — one  way  to  judge  of  life, 
but  not  so  correct.  Senator  Burleigh  had  formed  an 
opinion  about  the  emotional  nature  of  his  nephew,  and 
was  determined  to  test  George's  admiration  and  love  for 
Miss  Stanton.  He  believed  that  passion  and  fancy  had 
much  to  do  with  his  sentiments  toward  that  young  lady, 
and  George's  past  had  given  him  good  reasons  for  think 
ing  so.  He  had  confided  his  doubts  to  Mrs.  Stanton, 
and  he  now  wrote  her,  asking  her  co-operation  in 
carrying  out  his  plans.  This  she  quickly  acceded  to, 
willing  to  carry  out  any  scheme  that  was  not  too  haz 
ardous.  Take  a  widow  and  a  bachelor  past  fifty  years, 
thorough  people  of  the  world,  and  unassuming  George 
Burleigh  would  have  but  little  chances  of  escaping  any 


UNDER  BLUE  SKIES.  129 

plot  they  might  promulgate  ;  he  had  surprised  his  uncle 
by  saying  that  when  he  and  Marian  were  married  they 
would  settle  down  at  Burleigh  Place,  and  that  he  had 
chosen  farming  as  his  occupation.  He  reasoned  that 
trades  and  professions  were  overcrowded  by  ambitious 
New  England  girls  and  boys,  who  expected  to  step 
from  the  commercial  and  manufacturing  interests  to  the 
Presidential  chair,  or  to  be  queens  of  society  ;  that  only 
the  occupation  of  farming  the  majority  of  people  would 
ignore,  but  with  love  as  an  incentive,  George  could  see 
roses  where  others  saw  only  thorns. 

One  day  the  senator  was  walking  leisurely  down  the 
boulevards  of  Paris,  when  his  eyes  were  caught  and  held 
by  a  girl  whose  striking  resemblance  to  Marian  Stanton 
caused  him  to  stop  and  purchase  some  of  the  fruit  which 
she  was  selling.  Her  once  radiant  beauty  was  sadly 
marred  by  the  marks  left  by  that  dread  disease,  small 
pox  ;  but  the  eyes  and  features  were  perfect,  and  into 
the  long  head  of  the  New  England  senator  came  an  idea 
of  how  to  test  George's  affection,  and  try  him  in  the 
crucible  of  endurance  of  human  love.  It  did  not  take 
very  long  to  arrange  with  the  girl  fruit-vendor  to  have 
her  portrait  painted  by  paying  her  for  her  time  ;  and 
with  the  draping  of  lace  and  peculiar  poise  of  the  head, 
which  was  one  of  Marian's  characteristics,  he  now  had 
in  his  possession  a  striking  resemblance  of  her  with  the 
marks  of  disease  plainly  visible. 

One  morning,  when  George  had  been  expatiating  on 
Marian's  beauty,  his  uncle  brought  up  the  question,  the 
relation  of  the  sexes  and  the  affection  between  them, 
and  what  it  should  be  founded  upon.  George  argued 


130  UNDER  BLUE  SKIES. 

that  his  love  for  Marian  was  of  the  mind  and  soul,  and 
not  mere  bodily  attraction.  Now  was  the  time,  thought 
his  uncle,  to  show  him  the  picture.  At  first,  George 
flatly  refused  to  believe  it  was  Marian,  proving  our 
intuitions  are  safer  guides  than  our  eyes  or  reason.  He 
argued  that  she  would  have  written  if  she  had  been  ill, 
but  his  uncle  reminded  him  that  it  had  been  weeks  they 
had  not  heard  from  mother  or  daughter,  and  in  the 
senator's  letter,  which  he  had  just  received  from  Mrs. 
Stanton,she  mentioned  that  Marian  was  now  well  and 
happy,  inferring  that  she  had  been  otherwise. 

We  have  often  been  told  that  facts  are  stubborn  things, 
and  when  one  cannot  meet  them  with  reason  they  better 
go  around  them,  as  one  would  a  tree  in  the  path,  than 
run  up  against  it.  People  who  have  impulsive  and  emo 
tional  natures  are  always  criticized  by  those  more  cool 
and  level-headed ;  but,  as  if  Mother  Nature  wished  to 
help  and  compensate  them  for  having  a  temperament 
which  excites  the  criticism  of  the  world,  helps  them  to 
go  through  any  trial  of  life  easier  and  quicker  than  those 
of  the  opposite  kind.  Friends  wonder  and  enemies  are 
chagrined  at  the  way  emotional  people  pass  through  the 
hardships  of  life.  It  was  a  dash  of  cold  water  upon  this 
young  and  ardent  lover  to  have  his  idol  marred  and  to 
prove  to  himself  that  his  senses  did  have  a  strong  hold 
upon  him.  Who  can  deny  the  power  of  physical  beauty 
in  man  or  woman  ?  All  great  men,  and  even  nations, 
have  felt  its  sway.  He  did  not  give  his  uncle  the  benefit 
of  seeing  his  disappointment  very  long,  for  he  hastily 
left  the  room,  and  took  every  pains  to  avoid  him  until 
he  had  conquered  the  greatest  enemy  we  have,  and  that 


UNDER  BLUE  SKIES.  131 

is — self.     When  he  did  appear  he  was  quite  self-poised 
and  seemed  extremely  happy. 

"  Uncle  Jack,"  said  he,  one  evening,  "  of  course,  when 
you  showed  that  portrait  I  was  taken  back  a  little  and 
realized  how  much  a  few  ugly  marks  will  change  one's 
appearance,  but  I  know  now  that  I  do  not  love  her  for 
form  or  feature,  but  for  her  mind  and  soul."  As  his 
uncle  made  no  reply  he  went  on  enthusiastically:  "  You 
see  we  love  people  when  they  have  lost  every  trace  of 
physical  beauty,  for  there  is  no  attraction  in  old  age, 
and  I  am  sure  I  should  love  Marian  then,  and  she  would 
love  me,  and  I  am  glad  to  have  another  opportunity  to 
test  my  love  for  her.  I  believe  some  wise  power  gives 
me  these  chances." 

"Spoken  nobly,  George!  and  true  nobility  never 
goes  unrewarded.  Let  me  tell  you  a  little  romance  of 
my  own  life  which  will  go  to  prove  that  one  can  love  an 
ideal  for  years,  which  has  no  physical  hold  upon  an 
individual.  When  I  was  a  young  man  I  was  engaged 
to  a  beautiful  girl,  and  while  we  were  riding  one  evening 
my  horse  became  frightened  and  we  were  thrown  out 
and  my  betrothed  killed.  I  have  never  ceased  to  love 
her,  and  many  times  of  late  I  have  fancied,  George,  that 
she  is  near  me  to  guide  and  protect  me.  Well,  I  sup 
pose  that  is  because  I  am  growing  old  and  weak."  And 
he  wiped  the  perspiration  from  his  brow  as  if  relating 
this  episode  had  cost  him  an  effort. 

"  I  believe,  Uncle  Jack,  she  is  near  you,  for  you  never 
get  into  the  awful  scrapes  that  I  and  some  others  have ; 
so  it  must  be  that  some  guardian  angel  keeps  you  on 
the  right  track,  while  some  less  fortunate  of  the  human 


132  UNDER  BLUE  SKIES. 

brotherhood  are  like  ships  without  a  captain,  liable  to 
strike  the  sharp  reefs  of  life  and  sink.  You  must 
acknowledge,  Uncle  Jack,  that  life  is  not  all  physical, 
but  the  better  part  of  it  is  spiritual." 

George  had  just  finished  reading  to  himself  one  of 
Marian's  last  letters,  wherein  she  dwelt  quite  enthusias 
tically  upon  the  beauty  of  some  lace  she  had  recently 
purchased,  of  the  most  delicate  cream  and  the  most 
exquisite  pattern.  The  idea  struck  George  that  in  none 
of  her  letters  did  she  ever  refer  to  her  changed  appear 
ance,  or  seem  to  make  any  difference  in  her  purchases 
for  her  own  use,  any  different  than  she  would  have 
made  if  still  possessed  her  former  beauty.  As  his  uncle 
was  sitting  near,  enjoying  his  fragrant  Havana,  George 
thought  he  would  just  mention  to  him  the  thought  that 
came  to  his  mind  from  reading  Marian's  letter.  "Uncle 
Jack,  what  do  you  think  of  Marian's  taste  in  purchasing 
some  rare  old  lace  for  a  dress,  delicate  in  shade  and 
texture?  Will  it  be  becoming  to  a  person  who — who 
— "  and  he  stopped,  as  if  ashamed  of  the  thought. 

His  uncle  looked  up  with  a  quizzical  smile,  and 
helped  him  out  by  saying  :  "A  person  whose  face  is 
quite  red,  and  blotched  by  sickness — eh,  my  boy  ?  " 

"  I  don't  care,  Uncle  Jack,  but  it  is  not  a  bit  like 
Marian's  good  sense." 

Now,  this  sly  old  uncle  did  not  care  to  have  George 
think  too  much  about  the  matter,  for  fear  he  would  call 
for  the  picture,  criticize  it  more  carefully,  and  see 
through  the  deception  before  he  had  been  fully  disci 
plined  that  a  man  can  live  with  and  love  a  wife  who  has 
lost  her  beauty.  "It  is  like  this,  George.  A  woman 


UNDER  BLUE  SKIES.  133 

never  knows  when  she  ceases  to  be  beautiful.  Just 
look  around  you,  and  you  will  see  thousands  of  ladies 
resorting  to  art  to  assist  beauty,  and  you  will  not  see 
one  man  in  a  hundred  doing  the  same." 

"True  !   but  Marian  is  so  unlike  other  women." 

"  Pooh,  pooh,  my  boy,  that  is  the  way  lovers  always 
talk.  They  never  can  see  any  imperfections  in  their 
sweethearts  until  after  marriage — then  they  see  too 
many  !  " 

This  conversation  did  not  disturb  George's  equilib 
rium,  for  he  sang  and  whistled  as  merrily  as  ever,  and 
their  tete-a-tete  was  interrupted  by  a  call  from  Dr.  and 
Mrs.  Fay  and  Flossie,  who  looked  as  if  they  had  been 
taking  the  greatest  tonic  in  the  world — which  is  Happi 
ness.  Whether  it  be  found  in  a  hut  or  in  a  palace,  it 
gives  buoyancy  to  the  step,  flushes  the  cheek,  sparkles 
the  eye,  and  makes  everything  in  the  mundane  world 
beautiful. 

The  doctor  commenced  talking  of  the  occult  sciences. 
"Why,"  said  he,  "  not  to  investigate  the  spiritual  side  of 
life  to-day,  puts  one  down  as  a  person  who  has  lost  the 
capacity  of  feeling,  and  is  too  indolent  to  think." 

George  was  interested,  and  proposed  forming  a  party 
for  that  evening,  and  visit  a  celebrated  psychic,  who  had 
lately  appeared  in  Paris  and  was  attracting  the  atten 
tion  of  the  scientific  and  thoughtful  minds  of  the  city. 

To  witness  the  genuine  phenomena  of  the  spiritual 
science,  is  to  be  convinced.  Senator  Burleigh  and  all 
the  party  present  that  evening  banished  from  their  minds 
any  cobwebs  of  doubt  that  may  have  been  there.  The 
senator  had  seen  his  lost  love,  in  a  clear  light,  etherealized 


134  UNDER  BLUE  SKIES. 

so  plainly  that  every  feature  was  visible  ;  the  continuity 
of  life  was  to  him  now  a  fact,  and  like  all  persons  who 
become  convinced  of  these  facts,  late  in  life,  it  seemed 
to  him,  that  hitherto  he  had  been  in  a  Rip  Van  Winkle 
sleep,  and  had  just  awakened  to  life  to  know  that  it  is 
not  all  of  life  to  live  here,  but  more  reasonable  to  look 
beyond  and  know  something  of  the  hereafter. 

It  caused  them  all  much  joy,  a  few  days  later,  to 
receive  a  letter  informing  them  that  Mrs.  Stanton  and 
Marian  would  soon  be  with  them,  and  prepare  for  the 
wedding  of  George  and  Marian,  which  would  occur  in 
June,  after  which  they  all  would  return  to  their  dearly 
beloved  America. 

It  was  not  George,  but  his  uncle,  who  appeared 
extremely  nervous,  as  the  time  approached  for  the 
arrival  of  Marian  and  her  mother;  so  much  so,  that 
George  misunderstood,  thinking  it  was  sympathy  for  his 
own  feelings  in  "regard  to  Marian's  changed  appearance. 
One  morning,  when  his  uncle  seemed  more  abstracted 
than  usual,  George  rallied  him,  saying:  "  Don't  you 
worry  about  me,  Uncle  Jack,  I'm  all  right.  Braced  right 
up  to  the  occasion,  and  Marian  won't  see  the  least  look 
of  surprise." 

Taken  completely  off  his  guard,  his  uncle  replied 
quickly,  "  It  isn't  you  that  I  am  thinking  about,  its 
myself.  You  know,  George,  I  have  never — ".  He 
stopped  short  realizing  he  was  about  to  spoil  his  whole 
scheme. 

"Well,  what,  uncle?" 

"Oh,  nothing  of  consequence,  only,  I  suppose  when 
you  two  young  people  are  married,  Marian's  mother 


UNDER  BLUE  SKIES.  135 

and  myself  will  be  rather  in  the  way.  It  is  a  pity  that 
people  cannot  die  when  they  have  ceased  to  be  of  any 
benefit  or  happiness  to  others,  without  committing 
suicide." 

George  laughed  heartily.  "  Why,  Uncle  Jack,  if  you 
feel  that  way — and  I  don't  see  why  you  should — you  had 
better  many  the  widow,  and  that  would  fix  matters  all 
right." 

"  No,  my  boy!  To  marry  without  love,  for  convenience 
sake,  would  be  committing  another  kind  of  suicide. 
Mrs.  Stanton  and  I  both  have  known  true  love,  and  there 
is  no  counterfeitting  the  real — and  we  both  believe  that 
it  comes  to  one  but  once  in  a  lifetime.  I  guess  I  will 
be  all  right  on  that  farm  you  are  to  have  under  cultiva 
tion,  and  at  my  club — so  don't  you  worry,  my  boy." 

"  Of  course,  you  are  solid  anywhere.  I  merely  men 
tioned  the  marriage  question  to  cheer  you  up  a  little." 

The  old  senator  smiled  as  he  lit  another  cigar  and 
said  softly  under  his  breath  :  "  That  boy  could  always 
be  twisted  around  and  never  suspect  it,  and  if  he  can 
only  be  placed  in  the  right  hands  he  can  be  twisted  into 
the  strongest  rope  that  circumstances  ever  twined,  for 
at  heart  he  is  as  good  as  gold." 

It  was  late  in  the  evening  when  the  expected  mother 
and  daughter  arrrived,  and  the  latter  being  heavily 
veiled  and  both  being  tired,  they,  as  soon  as  the  first 
greetings  were  over,  retired  to  their  rooms.  So  the 
expected  scene  which  the  senator  had  anticipated,  he 
saw  at  a  glance  would  be  delayed.  So  thinking  to  arise 
early  in  the  morning  he  would  manage  to  escape  a 
scene,  but,  alas  !  for  one's  good  resolutions.  The  heavy 


136  UNDER  BLUE  SKIES. 

wings  of  Morpheus  kept  his  eye  lids  closed  longer  than 
usual,  and  when  he  appeared  in  the  parlor,  Mrs.  Stanton 
and  George  and  the  rest  were  waiting  for  Marian  and 
himself.  He  stepped  quickly  along ;  Marian  flitted  to 
his  side,  radiant  in  her  cream  and  lace  morning  dress 
and  a  complexion  which  an  artist  would  despair  of  ever 
reproducing.  George  looked  thunderstruck.  Mrs. 
Stanton  laughed  heartily,  and  Marian  blushed  a  deep 
scarlet  to  observe  George's  surprised  manner  and  the 
senator's  guilty  countenance.  How  long  this  would 
have  lasted  no  one  knows,  if  Flossie  had  not  appeared 
upon  the  scene  and  rushed  up  to  Marian  with  the 
words,  "  Why,  there  isn't  a  single  henpeck  or  scratch 
upon  you.  You  don't  look  a  bit  like  that  ugly  old 
picture  I  saw  up  in  Uncle  Burleigh's  bureau  drawer, 
does  she,  mama?"  Mrs.  Stanton  explained  as  best  she 
could,  and  George  took  it  good  naturedly  saying  he 
should  go  to  work  and  fall  in  love  with  Marian  all  over 
again,  and  thought  the  way  for  him  to  get  revenge  was 
to  go  down  among  the  slums,  catch  the  smallpox  and 
give  it  to  all  the  family. 

It  was  a  merry  crowd  that  gathered  around  the  table 
that  morning,  comparing  notes  of  travel  and  adventures, 
and  building  hopes  of  the  future  years  with  a  desire 
that  any  event  they  might  meet  they  would  be  fully 
prepared  to  master  it. 


*  * 
* 


How  many  wedding  bells  ring  out  on  the  clear  air 
their  merry  chimes,  indicating  that  they  are  harbingers  of 
joy,  peace  and  happiness,  when,  alas !  many  times,  they 
prove  to  be  omens  of  evil,  crime  and  despair.  We  see 


UNDER  BLUE  SKIES.  137 

daily,  young  persons  starting  out  in  the  world,  entering 
the  holy  bonds  of  wedlock  with  the  very  best  intentions, 
but  have  lived  to  taste  the  bitter  fruits  of  an  unhappy 
marriage.  They  are  just  as  liable  to  meet  with  a  failure 
in  this  venture  as  if  their  motives  were  intensely  selfish. 
George  and  Marian  preferred  a  quiet  wedding  service, 
surrounded  by  a  few  relatives  and  friends.  Under  the 
circumstances,  it  was  the  only  kind  that  could  be 
indulged  in,  and  follow  out  the  lines  of  good  taste. 
Whenever  a  man  or  woman  has  made  one  mistake  in  the 
matrimonial  world,  and  they  enter  the  relationship 
again  with  another,  if  they  celebrate  the  event  publicly, 
they  are  usually  persons  of  no  refinement  of  mind  or  del 
icacy  of  feeling,  and  with  a  total  disregard  of  public  crit 
icism.  It  is  a  bold  effrontery,  as  much  as  to  say — "My 
past  mistakes  do  not  frighten  me,  and  I'll  make  more  if 
I  choose." 

To  follow  the  bride  and  groom  on  their  wed 
ding  trip,  we  would  soon  find  ourselves  de  trop,  but  we 
could  not  note  two  more  ardent  lovers  than  George  and 
Marian.  They  seemed  created  for  one  another,  physic 
ally,  mentally  and  spiritually  ;  one  balanced  the  other's 
deficiencies,  thus  making  up  any  defect  of  nature,should 
any  exist,  and  this  is  the  truest  kind  of  wedlock. 

While  the  young  people  were  traveling,  Senator  Bur- 
leigh  and  Dr.  Fay's  family  were  devoting  their  time  to 
the  study  of  that  which  pertained  to  the  spiritual  and 
invisible.  They  did  not  think,  at  first,  that  they  would 
pursue  their  inquiries,  but  when  one  is  walking  on  the 
road  of  investigation,  he  must  keep  on  to  the  end,  which 
is  eternity.  It  was  amusing,  however,  to  hear  them  talk 


138  UNDER  BLUE  SKIES. 

about  their  friends  in  America,  whom  they  thought  had, 
doubtless,  been  standing  still,  and  had  not  come  in  touch 
with  this  wonderful  phenomena  ;  when,  in  fact,  they  had 
only  commenced  to  learn  the  alphabet,  which  Leland 
Newell  had  been  teaching  humanity  for  years,  and  was 
now  daily  living  in  the  grand  philosophy  of  spiritual 
light.  Human  nature  is  as  prone  to  conceit  as  a  flower 
garden  is  to  weeds,  and  this  self  esteem  is  as  rank  and 
as  deep  rooted. 

The  autumn  was  approaching  when  the  newly-mar 
ried  couple  returned  to  Paris,  and  now  the  great  theme 
of  interest  was  "  home."  Every  living  creature  has  a 
feeling  in  their  organization  of  an  abiding  place,  be  it  a 
dry  goods  box  or  a  palace.  They  cling  to  the  one  or 
the  other,  through  the  great  law  of  association  ;  and, 
perhaps  here  will  come  in  the  law  of  equality  when  we 
reach  the  spiritual  life.  It  is  so  much  easier  to  give  up 
the  dry  goods  box,  that  the  street  gamin  calls  his  home, 
than  the  palace — for  few  will  seek  the  former,  but  the 
latter  will  soon  be  occupied  by  foreign  elements  to  those 
who  once  inhabited  it.  People  waiting  for  the  homes  of 
others  are  common  occurrences. 

When  they  had  finally  embarked,  and  the  weather 
would  allow,  they  would  gather  on  the  deck  and  talk 
over  and  discuss  the  wonders  of  the  occult  philosoph, 
and  the  great  changes  the  knowledge  of  it  would  make 
in  the  affairs  of  the  world.  One  evening,  as  they  were 
expressing  themselves  quite  emphatically  how  they 
would  drive  these  spiritual  truths  home  to  the  people  in 
Burleigh,  George  looked  up,  with  a  twinkle  in  his  eye? 
and  remarked  that  he  was  afraid  there  would  be  but  few 


UNDER  BLUE  SKIES.  139 

of  their  intimate  friends  there  to  convert.  "Well,"  said 
the  senator,  "  you  can  rest  assured  there  is  one  who  is 
not  converted,  and  that  is  Jerusha  ;  but  I  guess  you  are 
right  about  the  rest  of  them,  as  I  was  reading,  a  short 
time  ago,  in  the  Burleigh  Times,  of  a  beautiful  temple 
being  erected  by  our  old  friend,  Newell,  which  is  dedi 
cated  to  the  use  of  the  spirit  world  and  to  humanity. 
Amelia  has  written  that  her  Aunt  Jerusha  would  spend 
hours  in  explaining  the  impossibility  of  communication 
between  the  two  worlds,  and  held  on  to  the  idea  that 
when  a  person  was  dead,  they  would  have  had  enough 
of  this  life,  and  would  be  quite  willing  not  to  meddle 
with  the  affairs  of  people  here." 

"  Yes,  you  know  that  Aunt  Jerusha  used  to  say  to 
me  :  'You  can't  fool,  or  change  me  over.  I  was  not 
cut  out  from  any  common  pattern  ;  and,  after  making 
me,  they  must  have  thrown  it  away,  and  used  some 
other  to  make  up  humanity,  that  they  can  twist  around 
easier  than  they  can  me.'  ' 

After  the  party  had  reached  home  and  settled  down 
to  the  realities  of  life,  it  was  arranged  that  there  should 
be  a  celebration  of  the  anniversary  of  the  erection  of 
the  Spiritual  Temple,  which  had  now  become  a  factor  in 
the  town  of  Burleigh.  Prejudice  was  fast  melting  away, 
for  there  is  no  way  to  conquer  it  so  quickly  as  to  place 
a  cause  on  equal  footing,  financially,  with  those  who 
oppose  it.  A  feast  of  good  things  and  an  overflow  of 
soul  was  to  be  in  order,  as  if  nature  was  joining  in  the 
happy  event. 

It  was  the  most  beautiful  day  one  could  im 
agine,  after  Dame  Nature  had  dressed  herself  in  her 


140  UNDER  BLUE  SKIES. 

autumn  attire.  The  programme  was  arranged  that  the 
principal  address  should  be  made  by  President  Newell, 
followed  by  Senator  Burleigh's  experience  in  the  occult 
science  abroad,  and,  to  add  variety  to  the  occasion,  and 
a  dash  of  romance,  the  Unitarian  clergyman,  husband  of 
George  Burleigh's  first  wife,  was  to  give  an  address  on 
"the  relation  of  his  Church  to  the  great  spiritual  prob 
lem  of  the  age,"  entitled,  "  Only  a  Step." 

There  is  many  a  liberal  minister  who  would  be  only 
too  glad  to  take  that  step  if  he  was  sure  of  his  ground, 
which  is  a  good,  solid  salary.  They  have  not  the  moral 
courage  to  step  from  the  easy  carriage  of  the  Church, 
and  walk  the  hard  and  thorny  road  of  moral  reforma 
tion.  It  is  so  much  easier  to  sit  in  the  rocking  chair  of 
comfort,  and  be  fanned  by  the  perfumes  of  refinement 
than  to  sit  down  on  the  cold  stones  of  new  ideas  and 
feel  the  harsh  breath  of  adverse  criticism,  and  break  the 
bread  of  life  to  the  hungry  multitude,  as  the  Nazarene 
did,  for  the  love  of  simple  truth  and  humanity. 

An  improvised  poem  was  to  be  given  by  Marian,  who 
returned  from  the  study  of  the  ancient  lore  in  the  East 
filled  with  spiritual  light,  which  bubbled  from  her  lips 
like  foam  on  the  wine.  George  acted  as  musical  director. 

Our  little  medium,  Amelia,  was  now  one  of  the  most 
successful  platform  test  interpreters,  and  would  devote 
much  of  the  time  in  delivering  messages  from  those 
just  behind  the  veil.  This  caused  Jerusha  to  make 
many  spicy  remarks,  and  she  was  overheard  to  say  to 
her  niece  by  one  of  the  neighbors:  "  Amelia  Bigelow 
Newell,  don't  you  go  up  on  that  stage,  or  whatever  you 
call  it  (am  glad  it  ain't  a  pulpit,  anyway),  and  make  a 


UNDER  BLUE  SKIES.  141 

downright  fool  of  yourself.  I  would  rather  go  out  with 
a  lantern  the  darkest  night  that  ever  was,  and  when  it 
rained,  too,  and  take  down  all  the  names  on  those  old 
grave  stones,  and  help  you  get  them  into  your  head, 
than  to  have  any  of  my  relations  give  gibberish  that  a 
Hottentot  would  be  ashamed  of,  and  no  one  could 
understand." 

Amelia  promised  on  the  old  family  Bible  that  she 
would  not  undertake  what  she  could  not  do;  that  her 
tests  would  be  as  correct  as  Baker's  old  spelling-book 
and  as  true  as  the  Bible. 

This  so  relieved  Jerusha's  mind  that  she  took  hold  of 
the  cooking  with  renewed  earnestness,  and  said  to  Mary 
and  Sam  (who  had  lately  married,  and  still  retained  their 
positions  in  the  Burleigh  family),  that  these  spiritual 
folks  and  mediums  might  talk  all  they  wanted  to  about 
angels  and  blue  skies,  she  guessed  they  would  appre 
ciate  a  good  old-fashioned,  orthodox  dinner,  as  well  as 
common  people,  and  she  should  not  be  afraid  to  test 
them  on  that  point — and  she  guessed  they  would 
recognize  this  test  much  easier  than  half  they  did  get ; 
which  always  seemed  to  her  to  distress  some  of  them  terri 
bly,  to  remember  the  facts  the  mediums  told  them  about 
their  own  relations. 

Sam  winked  at  Mary,  and  showed  her  on  the 
sly  his  last  invention,  which  he  said  would  be  in 
every  household,  to  be  used  to  communicate  with  the 
invisible  world,  and  he  whispered  that  when  it  was  com 
pleted,  he  was  going  to  fasten  one  on  Aunt  Jerusha's 
bedstead,  and  force  her  to  hear  from  those  dead  live 
folks  whether  she  wanted  or  not. 


142  UNDER  BLUE  SKIES. 

The  celebration  was  a  pronounced  success,  and  as 
that  glorious  queen  of  the  night  arose  in  all  its  beauty, 
there  were  merry  feet  dancing  in  the  hall  connected 
with  the  Temple ;  for  this  new  religion  was  a  natural 
one,  that  reached  the  old  and  young  alike,  for  the 
joyous  laughter  that  pealed  out  on  the  clear  air,  came 
from  hearts  overflowing  with  love  and  hope.  In  the 
place  of  death,  was  life,  and  none  were  saddened  by  the 
past,  for  now  they  looked  on  all  such  experiences  as 
grand  lessons,  fitting  them  to  step  forward  into  that 
larger  school  of  spiritual  growth,  the  bright  Summer- 
land  of  the  future,  where  they  were  to  ascend  step  by 
step  the  ladder  of  knowledge,  until  they  stood  upon  the 
mountain  of  spiritual  enlightenment. 

We  must  say  to  them  now  "  Au  revoir"  leaving 
them  under  the  blue  skies  of  our  fair  America,  going 
bravely  onward  to  that  land,  arched  with  the  blue 
skies  of  the  great  Hereafter. 


JASON  AND  MATILDA. 


JASON  AND  MATILDA. 

VfES,  that  is  a  sensible  match!"  said  one  of  the 
1  deacons  in  the  Methodist  church,  as  the  couple  just 
united  passed  down  the  aisle.  Rufus  Hazleton,  the 
youngest  son  of  Squire  Hazleton,  was  good  looking  and 
good  natured,  and  was  considered  by  the  community  as 
quite  a  "catch;"  but  Matilda  Reynolds,  the  school 
teacher,  was  called  one  of  the  smartest  girls  in  the  State 
of  Vermont,  and  one  of  the  plainest.  But  the  inhabitants 
of  the  little  town  of  Waybridge,  had  decided  long  ago, 
that  a  handsome  girl  should  be  feared  by  the  stalwart 
sons  of  the  "Green  Mountain  State  ;"  a  girl  who  had 
good  health  and  could  work  was  far  more  to  be  desired 
than  one  with  a  fairer  face  and  a  delicate  constitu 
tion. 

The  thought  flashes  into  the  mind  of  one,  seeing  these 
very  plain  people,  how  could  the  Maker  of  human 
beings,  admitting  this  was  His  special  labor  (which  many 
doubt),  make  a  person  so  very  unattractive  in  form  and 
feature,  when  He  has  it  in  His  power  to  make  them 
exactly  opposite  if  He  chose  ;  but  Nature,  which  ever 
tries  to  make  up  in  one  respect  what  she  loses  in 
another,  gives  lavishly  in  goodness  what  she  witholds 
in  beauty ;  and  this  was  the  case  with  Matilda  Reynolds, 
now  Matilda  Hazelton.  Her  hair  was  brown  and  glossy, 
but  she  would  part  it  in  the  middle,  and  draw  it  tightly 
back  from  her  broad,  high  forehead,  and  for  fear  it  would 


146  JASON  AND  MA  TILDA. 

break  into  a  ripple  or  curl,  tie  it  tightly  with  a  string, 
and  twist  it  into  a  knob  back  of  her  head,  which  stood 
out  in  such  startling  distinctness,  that  one  could  not  tell 
whether  it  was  used  as  a  weapon  of  defense  or  placed 
there  from  sheer  necessity.  The  young  ladies  of  Way- 
bridge  had  never  heard  of  the  classic  knot  or  the  low 
Grecian  coil.  Matilda  had  a  good  complexion,  and  the 
brightest,  keenest  gray  eyes  in  the  world  ;  but  her  nose 
was  long  and  sharp,  her  teeth  irregular,  and  her  mouth 
firm  but  large.  Perhaps  one  could  have  overlooked  the 
plain  face,  if  there  had  been  one  line  of  beauty  in  her 
form  ;  but,  no,  she  was  built  like  a  man,  tall  and  com 
manding,  but  not  a  curve  in  her  figure  ;  and  what  made 
her  seem  more  masculine,  she  was  a  number  of  inches 
taller  than  her  husband,  who  walkedwith  an  easy  swing 
ing  gait, while  Matilda  would  put  her  feet  down  as  firmly 
as  one  of  the  old  colonial  captains. 

Rufus  was  to  have  the  Hazelton  farm,  and  Father 
and  Mother  Hazelton  were  to  live  with  them,  and 
although  Matilda's  shoulders  were  broad,  and  she  her 
self  capable,  still  she  started  out  in  life  with  her  share 
of  life's  burdens.  When,  after  three  children  had  been 
born  to  them,  and  stimulated  her  to  greater  exertions, 
it  seemed  to  have  an  opposite  effect  upon  Rufus,  who 
grew  more  and  more  shiftless.  After  the  old  people 
died,  Matilda  felt  it  her  duty  to  take  her  father  and 
invalid  brother  home  to  live  with  her.  As  Rufus  had 
borrowed  money  from  time  to  time  from  Deacon  Suth 
erland,  Hazleton  Farm,  at  the  time  our  story  opens, 
was  heavily  mortgaged.  But  this  was  not  the  only 
farm  in  Waybridge  with  a  mortgage  upon  it.  The 


JASON  AND  MA  TILDA.  147 

farmers  in  this  section  had  become  discouraged  ;  there 
was  no  market  for  their  produce,  and  no  energy  in  the 
community.  Jason  Reynolds,  her  brother,  had  become 
lame,  and  could  render  but  little  assistance,  and  while 
she  had  two  brothers  in  New  York  City,  only  one  of 
them  ever  remembered  that  he  had  relations  in  the 
green  hills  of  Vermont,  and  he  only  partly  realized  the 
close  economy  which  had  to  be  exercised  in  order  to 
keep  the  family  together,  for  people  in  the  city  fall  into 
the  habit  of  thinking  that  everything  grows  on  a  farm, 
and,  consequently,  farmers  want  for  nothing. 

Matilda's  father  had  brought  up  a  family  of  nine 
children,  four  of  whom  were  living  at  this  time,  and  had 
educated  them  better  than  the  average  young  people  in 
that  vicinity,  and,  like  many  another  New  England 
farmer,  as  soon  as  they  were  old  enough  to  be  of  any 
assistance  to  him,  he  allowed  them  to  go  out  into  the 
world  to  the  large  cities.  How  quickly  children  forget 
the  roof  tree  that  sheltered  them  in  their  childhood; 
forgetting  the  white  hairs  of  father  and  mother  in  the 
busy  whirl  of  city  life  ;  forgetting  their  duties  toward 
those  who  cared  for  them  when  they  could  not  care  for 
themselves.  They  always  had  the  excuse  that  if  they  had 
remained  at  home  and  worked,  New  England  could  not 
compete  with  the  fast  growing  and  productive  West. 
Those  who  did  remain  at  home  settled  down  into  a 
monotonous  way  of  living,  for  Waybridge  was  six 
miles  from  the  railroad  and  soon  ran  behind  other 
towns  of  its  size. 

Whenever  Rufus  had  any  young  stock  suitable  for 
the  market,  Deacon  Sutherland  would  happen  along  for 


148  JASON  AND  MATILDA. 

his  interest  money,  offer  a  low  figure    and  drive  them 

home. 

*  * 

It  was  a  beautiful  autumn  day,  and  the  golden  light 
touched  up  the  high  hills  of  Vermont,  painting  a  scene 
which  the  beholder  would  never  forget.  Matilda 
Hazelton,  tired  and  worn  with  a  hard  day's  work,  sat 
down  in  the  large  sitting  room  at  Hazelton  farm,  and 
listened  to  the  heavy  breathing  of  Rufus,  who  had 
dropped  to  sleep  in  his  chair  ;  watched  the  sad,  patient 
face  of  Jason  as  he  bent  over  his  book,  and  thoughts  of 
her  children,  especially  the  little  one  who  was  fast 
fading  from  her  sight — the  idol  of  her  heart — and  the 
situation  of  all  their  lives  arose  before  her  mental  vision 
in  all  its  helplessness,  and  for  the  first  time  in  her  life 
she  broke  down  under  the  terrible  pressure,  and  could 
not  keep  back  the  tears  that  ran  down  her  careworn 
face. 

Some  women,  and  in  fact  the  majority  of  them, 
are  easily  moved  to  tears  ;  they  will  cry  over  nothing, 
and  as  a  relief  to  their  over  taxed  nerves  a  good  cry  is 
better  than  a  good  dinner.  Not  so  with  Matilda 
Hazleton ;  she  rarely  cried,  no  matter  how  intense 
her  suffering;  she  had  schooled  herself  to  never  give 
way  to  a  grief  that  could  not  be  averted ;  but  when 
she  did  cry,  one  could  only  think  of  the  storms  which 
arose  amid  the  green  mountains,  that  came  so  sudden 
and  heavy,  that  the  tall  trees  bent  in  humility  before  it, 
that  all  nature  trembled  in  unison  with  it. 

It  was  the  cry  from  a  heart  that  knew  the  deep-toned 
thunder  of  adverse  circumstances,  and  the  vivid  light- 


JASON  AND  MATILDA.  149 

ning  of  discouragement  which  surrounded  her.  It  was 
no  wonder  that  the  household  was  alarmed,  that  the  chil 
dren  crept  about  and  spoke  only  in  whispers,  that  Rufus 
dropped  his  snuffbox,  saying — "Why,  don't!  Matilda, 
you  know  it  won't  change  a  thing."  Of  course  she 
knew  it,  but  it  was  no  use ;  she  had  faced  the  situation 
of  Hazleton  farm,  and  as  the  panoramic  view  of  the  lives 
of  those  she  loved  so  dearly  passed  before  her  vision, 
the  picture  was  so  dark  and  dreary,  so  bereft  of  all  that 
makes  life  worth  the  living,  she  felt  she  must  cry,  or  go 
insane. 

There  was  one  sympathetic  heart  in  that  household 
which  never  failed  to  reach  all  who  were  suffering  and 
in  sorrow,  and  that  was  her  brother,  Jason  Reynolds. 
Who  could  help  loving  him  ?  With  what  subtle  magnet 
ism  did  old  and  young,  high  and  low,  rich  and  poor 
come  under  his  influence.  His  beautiful,  spiritual  face, 
so  classic  in  its  outline — one  could  think  only  of  a 
Grecian  god.  Whoever  looked  into  those  deep,  grey 
eyes,  saw  a  love  for  others  greater  than  a  love  for  self, 
which  made  him  the  highest  type  of  a  religious  man — a 
humanitarian.  James  Brown,  a  confirmed  infidel  and 
skeptic,  had  often  said  that  the  Methodist  Church  would 
not  be  fit  to  exist  if  it  did  not  contain  two  moral  people 
like  Matilda  and  Jason  Reynolds.  And  while  poverty 
was  ever  at  the  heels  of  his  life,  he  would  not  allow  his 
heart  to  become  poor  and  barren. 

It  was  the  life  of  love  that  the  Nazarene  had  taught 
which  attracted  him  to  the  Church,  for  his  reason  had 
ever  battled  with  the  narrowness  of  its  creed  and  its 
lack  of  charity  for  those  outside  its  limits,  while  too 


i$o  JASON  AND  MA  TILDA. 

often  it  served  as  a  cloak  to  cover  the  sins  of  some 
brother  or  sister  enrolled  upon  its  list.  But  he  would 
always  say:  "The  more  one  had  a  knowledge  of  the 
sins  of  the  world  the  more  zealously  should  one  work  in 
their  deeds  of  love  to  counteract  it  " — so  he  had  a  help 
ing  hand  and  a  smile  for  everyone.  When  Matilda 
turned  to  him  in  her  sorrow  and  despair,  it  was  not  to 
receive  a  stone,  but  the  bread  of  life,  for  if  we  cannot 
give  anything  else,  we  can  give  love,  which  many  times 
lifts  the  weight  from  the  spirit  and  sets  it  free. 

"  My  dear  sister,"  he  said,  in  those  deep,  mellow 
tones,  "  I  know  it  will  all  come  out  right,  and  you  will 
save  the  old  farm,  I  am  sure  of  it ;  just  let  the  thought 
rest  for  a  while,  and  light  will  come  to  you." 

"  Oh,  Jason,  I  have  prayed  and  prayed  ;  I  have  talked 
it  over  with  the  pastor  and  members  of  the  church  and 
they  give  me  no  hope,  and  say  if  it  is  the  will  of  God  for 
me  to  pass  through  this  affliction  I  must  submit  But  I 
cannot  see  my  dear  ones  go  to  the  poorhouse  without  a 
struggle." 

"  Did  you  ever  think,  Matilda,  that  if  the  so-called 
Christians  would  pray  less  and  think  more  upon  the 
practical  subjects  of  life,  many  of  its  burdens  would  be 
averted  ?  It  may  seem  strange  to  you  to  hear  me  talk 
so,  but  I  truly  believe  God  helps  those  who  would  help 
themselves,  and  work  is  as  acceptable  in  His  sight  as  a 
prayer,  and  much  more  effectual  in  this  work-a-day 
world  of  ours.  I  wish  you  would  go  over  and  talk  with 
Lemuel  Hackett,  and  in  the  meantime  I  will  see  if  I  can 
think  of  some  means  whereby  we  can  help  ourselves." 

But   that   night   the    duties    pressed    heavily    upon 


JASON  AND  MATILDA.  151 

Matilda,  for  Flossie,  the  youngest,  grew  rapidly  worse, 
and  as  she  left  her  for  a  moment  to  go  below  for  some 
cooling  drink  she  heard  her  voice  calling,  "Mama! 
Mama!  come  here;  I  am  on  the  stairs."  Hastily 
returning  she  saw  standing  above  her  on  the  stairs  her 
fever-stricken  child,  and  catching  her  in  her  arms, 
before  she  could  reach  her  room  the  little  spirit  had 
flown. 

While  Matilda's  spirit  bent  under  this  blow  it  did  not 
break,  and  the  weeks  rolled  on  and  it  seemed  nothing 
would  rouse  her  from  the  lethargy  of  despair  which  had 
fallen  upon  her.  But  a  stimulant  came  from  a  source 
she  little  thought  of.  She  had  been  telling  the  family 
one  morning  of  a  dream  she  had  had — of  how  Grand 
father  Hazelton  had  returned  and  said  :  "  I  will  help  you 
save  the  farm,  Matilda  ;  so  cheer  up."  And  as  a  climax 
to  this  dream,  when  she  was  passing  through  the  hall 
she  glanced  up  and  saw  her  little  Flossie  standing  on 
the  stairs,  which  was  too  much  for  her  overtaxed  heart, 
and  for  the  first  time  in  her  life  she  fainted  away. 
Rufus,  Jason  and  the  two  children,  Mary  and  George, 
gathered  around  her.  "  What  was  the  matter?"  And 
when  she  told  them  that  she  had  a  real  vision,  it  threw 
the  family  into  great  excitement.  It  was  not  every 
New  England  farmhouse  that  could  boast  of  such  an 
occurrence,  and  it  was  not  to  be  put  down  as  a  trick  of 
the  imagination  or  a  passing  fancy. 

Again  Jason  urged  Matilda  to  call  upon  Lemuel 
Hackett.  "  For  you  know  we  can  never  tell  who  may 
be  of  help  in  time  of  need  ;  and  although  his  ways  are 
odd,  he  has  abundance  of  common  sense  and  sometimes 


152  JASON  AND  MA  TILDA. 

one  can  add  to  another's  courage,  even  if  they  cannot 
form  a  line  of  action."  And  so  Matilda  rapped  at  Aunt 
Jerusha  Hackett's  door,  and  asked  to  see  Lemuel. 

I  suppose  every  country  town  has  its  characters,  but 
for  an  original,  typical  Yankee  one  would  have  to  go  far 
to  find  one  like  Lemuel  Hackett.  He  was  considered 
one  of  the  best  scholars  in  town.  The  old  folks  had 
often  been  heard  to  say:  "  If  Lem  had  gone  on  to  New 
York  town  with  Washington  and  John  Reynolds,  and 
slicked  up  a  bit,  he  would  have  been  just  as  smart  a 
man."  But,  no  ;  he  preferred  to  stay  on  the  old  farm, 
stick  to  his  slang  and  his  potatoes,  and  floor  everyone 
in  argument,  either  political  or  biblical,  until,  when  any 
one  wanted  to  know  anything  out  of  the  general  run, 
they  would  say:  "Go  and  ask  Lem  Hackett."  He 
was  not  much  surprised  to  see  the  tall,  spare  form  of 
Matilda  in  the  front  room  waiting  for  him,  but,  as  he 
had  been  to  school  with  her,  and  knew  her  sterling 
qualities,  he  realized  that  it  was  something  more  than 
an  ordinary  event  which  brought  her  there  to  seek 
advice  of  him. 

Matilda  told  him  first  about  the  encumbrance  on  the 
farm,  of  Deacon  Sutherland's  dishonest  means  of 
obtaining  all  they  raised  at  the  lowest  prices,  and  last, 
not  least,  her  dream  of  Grandfather  Hazelton,  and  her 
vision  of  Flossie  on  the  stairs  and  her  prayers  un 
answered,  her  heart  still  burdened  with  these  sad  condi 
tions  of  life. 

"Gosh  all  hemlock,  Matilda!"  said  he — he  run  his 
hands  through  his  carroty  red  hair — "  You  don't  tell  me 
that  you  are  discouraged,  that  you  have  been  dreaming 


JASON  AND  MA  TILDA,  153 

dreams  and  seeing  visions,  as  the  old  patriarchs  used  to 
do  ?  Gee  whitaker !  I  don't  wonder  that  your  nerves 
are  all  unstrung,  and  I  have  always  had  my  opinion  of 
Deacon  Sutherland,  if  he  does  belong  to  the  Methodist 
Church.  I  tell  you  what,  Matilda,  I  know  an  idea  is 
going  to  strike  you,  and  soon  too  ;  it  is  the  tall  trees 
that  catch  the  storms — and  when  struck  by  lightning 
they  don't  get  blasted,  but  they  do  get  somewhat  twisted 
and  turned  ;  and  as  I  look  your  case  over,  I  see  you 
are  going  to  be  struck  with  an  idea,  and  don't  be 
alarmed  if  it  twists  you  out  of  the  old  path,  and  turns 
you  into  a  new  one,  and  gives  you  a  mighty  shaking  up. 
Rufus  was  telling  me  this  morning  about  your  seeing 
visions,  and  dreaming  dreams,  and  '  Darn  it  all, '  I  said 
to  him,  '  I  don't  see  why  she  shouldn't,  for  I  don't  see 
why  we  don't  need  them  just  as  much  in  these  days  as 
they  did  in  Bible  times;  and,  by  jiminy ,  the  Bible  is  just 
full  of  spirits  and  angels,  who  went  tramping  around 
trying  to  help  folks  ;  and  if  we  don't  need  help  up  here 
on  these  Vermont  hillside  farms,  as  much  as  they  did 
in  Jerusalem,  I'd  like  some  one  to  rise  up  and  tell  the 
reason  why;"  and  Lemuel  flourished  his  long  arm  in  the 
air,  and  came  so  near  knocking  off  Matilda's  Sunday 
bonnet,  that  she  started  back  in  actual  fear.  "  Now, 
thisjis  my  advice  :  Have  a  plan,  no  matter  if  it  is  not  a 
good  one,  and  stick  to  it ;  then  call  a  meeting  of  your 
family,  and  whatever  you  plan  to  do  let  them  take  hold 
and  help  you.  I  don't  believe  in  one  person  doing  it  all, 
and  if  it  is  a  success  it  helps  all ;  this  four  or  five 
out  of  a  family  standing  back  to  see  if  the  person  pull 
ing  is  going  to  flounder  in  the  mud,  or  get  on  to  dry 


1 54  JASON  AND  MA  TILDA. 

land,  doing  a  powerful  lot  of  looking  on  and  finding 
fault,  is  against  my  religion;  and,  by  cracky,  if  your  folks 
and  neighbors  can't  help  you  now,  you  just  tell  them 
you  won't  need  them  when  your  are  dead  and  an  angel — 
that's  the  long  and  short  of  it.  Now,  Matilda,  you  can 
count  on  me,  wherever  the  idea  strikes,  whether  it  is  as 
high  as  the  steeple,  or  low  as  my  pig  pen.  Gosh  all 
hemlock  !  if  the  idea  is  too  big  to  tackle  alone,  I'll  catch 
hold  and  tackle  it  with  you." 

Matilda  thanked  him  from  the  bottom  of  her  heart 
for  the  good  cheer  and  determination  to  help  her  in 
whatever  she  might  undertake  ;  for  she  knew  she  could 
depend  upon  this  angular,  homely,  common  sense 
Yankee  as  much  as  she  could  upon  the  sun  rising  on  the 
morrow. 

Lemuel  Hackett  watched  Matilda's  retreating  form 
from  the  window,  and  then  turned  and  walked  delib 
erately  up  to  the  old  brass-framed  looking-glass  that 
Aunt  Jerusha  had  hung  between  the  windows  of  her 
best  square  room.  "Well,  I  do  declare,"  said  he;  "the 
picture  I  see  in  that  glass  is  far  from  being  a  handsome 
man.  The  hair  is  too  red,  the  face  too  long,  and  the 
eyes  too  small,  and  they  squint ;  and  the  skin  is  speck 
led  like  a  duck's  egg,  and  the  bones  hung  together  on 
wires.  But,  one  thing  I  can  say  of  this  individual — if  he 
isn't  a  beauty,  he  is  gosh  darned  smart;  for  if  some 
women  came  to  ask  my  advice,  I  shouldn't  have  thought 
so ;  but  Matilda  was  a  smart  girl,  and  she  is  a  smart 
woman,  and  if  she  had  not  had  confidence  in  my  advice 
she  never  would  have  come  ;  for  it  is  confidence  that 
makes  business  go,  and  the  old  mare  slow,  and  the 


JASON  AND  MA  TILDA.  155 

churches  grow  ;  and  a  few  more  people  like  Matilda  to 
advise  with    me   will    make   me   a  poet,"   and   he  went 

whistling  out  to  his  cornfield. 

*  * 

* 

All  inspiration  is  not  from  above.  One  may  breathe 
in  a  certain  intelligence  from  nature,  until  they  become 
inspired.  Inspiration  seems  to  be  the  awakening  of  one's 
higher  powers,  and  the  cause  thereof,  many  times,  may 
come  from  human  sorrows  as  well  as  from  heavenly  joys. 
In  fact,  it  seems  the  soul  will  have  to  be  cast  down 
before  it  can  be  lifted  up  ;  and  thus  inspiration  and  intel 
ligence  many  times  comes  from  human  life.  There  is 
no  greater  sorrow  in  this  world  than  to  see  the  wretched 
condition  of  one  we  love,  and,  at  the  same  time,  be 
unable  to  help  them  out  of  their  wretchedness.  This 
seemed  to  be  the  exact  case  of  Jason  Reynolds.  He 
was  bound  by  the  laws  of  pain  and  disabled  physique, 
and,  no  matter  how  warm  his  heart,  or  how  quick  his 
brain,  so  far  in  life  he  had  been  a  burden  to  others,  and 
the  heavy  part  of  the  burden  had  fallen  on  his  sister, 
whom  he  deemed  already  overweighted  with  the  cares 
of  life.  If  he  could  only  help  her,  even  in  the  slightest 
degree !  This  had  been  the  constant  prayer  of  his  life, 
the  deepest  desire  of  his  heart.  It  was  this  feeling  to 
help  Matilda  at  this  time  of  her  life  which  caused  him  to 
scan  closely  the  advertising  columns  of  a  New  York 
paper  which  brother  Washington  sent  him  weekly.  For 
a  moment  his  heart  stood  still,  as  his  eyes  rested  on 
these  words : 

"Wanted. — Board,  in   the  country,  for  four  people; 
Vermont  preferred.     Anyone  desiring  to  take  a  family 


156  JASON  AND  MATILDA. 

of  this  size,  can  receive  good  payment  for  the  same. 
Address,  A.  W.  M.,  P.  O.  Box  1140,  New  York 
City." 

Then  it  was  that  Jason  Reynolds  was  inspired ;  he 
could  see  it  all  as  plain  as  day.  He  knew  that  those 
people  would  come  to  Vermont,  and  to  them.  How  did 
he  know  it,  do  you  ask  ?  Well,  he  was  inspired.  He 
had  the  idea,  which,  as  Lemuel  said,  would  strike 
Matilda.  He  felt  so  happy  in  the  thought,  that  his  mind 
seemed  to  leap  from  cause  to  effect,  until  the  whole  plan 
was  consummated.  Yes,  he  would  write  to  brother  Wash 
ington,  and  have  him  go  and  see  the  parties  and  make 
the  arrangements.  Dear  Washington,  he  would  help 
fix  up  the  house — of  course,  he  would.  It  was  with  this 
happy  feeling  that  he  found  Matilda,  sitting  dejectedly 
alone  by  the  window,  with  that  heavy  frown  of  despair 
that  was  fast  settling  upon  her  face. 

"  I  have  found  the  right  idea,  Matilda,  to  help  you 
out  of  your  difficulties.  I  have  found  it !  "  and  his 
face  lighted  with  the  bright  hope  of  expectancy. 

Matilda  Hazelton  was  not  a  sanguine  woman,  or  nerv 
ous,  or  excitable  ;  and  she  had  an  overshare  of  common 
sense  ;  she  looked  up  calmly  at  her  brother,  and  said: 

"  What  do  you  mean,  Jason  ?  " 

"  We  are  going  to  take  city  boarders,  Matilda !  " 

"  Where  are  we  to  get  them  ?  " 

"Why,  here,"  and  he  read  to  her  the  "ad.  "  he  had 
found. 

Jason  did  not  stop  to  hear  one  objection,  but,  as  if  his 
brain  was  on  fire,  he  unfolded  the  plan  of  how  they  could 
keep  boarders  another  summer.  But  Matilda  was  a 


JASON  AND  MA  TILDA.  1 5  7 

woman  who  could  see  two  sides  of  every  question,  and 
she  said  to  Jason:  "Why,  don't  you  know,  we  haven't  any 
suitable  furniture  ;  and  we  have  no  knowledge  of  how 
these  people  live,  and  what  they  would  require." 

But,  one  by  one,  Jason  met  the  objections  and  settled 
them.  "  Why,  you  know,  Matilda,  that  Washington 
has  never  failed  us,  and  he  will  loan  the  money  for  the 
furniture,  and  he  can  write  us  all  about  the  habits  of 
these  people."  For  Jason  did  not  realize  the  difference 
in  the  habits  between  city  and  country  people,  and  the 
phrase  "  Love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself,"  would  not  be 
applicable  in  New  York  society. 

"  But,  you  know,  Jason,  that  Mary  is  not  old  enough 
to  be  of  much  help,  and  I  fear  that  I  cannot  carry  it  on 
alone ;  and  I  dread  to  undertake  what  I  might  make  a 
failure  of." 

"  Now,  Matilda,  what  is  the  matter  with  my  turning 
cook  myself?  I  have  read  that  many  a  man  receives  a 
higher  salary  for  cooking  than  a  professor  of  a  college ; 
and  we  have  all  winter  to  perfect  the  plan,  and  I  know 
this  is  the  thing  to  do  ;  and  if  Washington  can't  raise 
all  the  money,  don't  you  think  John  would  help  ?  " 

Matilda  shook  her  head.  "  You  know  that  brother 
John  always  looked  out  for  himself  first,  and  when 
people  do  that  way,  you  know  they  never  have  time, 
money  or  love  for  anyone  else  ;  but  I  will  write  at  once 
and  you  must  do  so  also,  and  we  will  see  what  comes  of 
it." 

So  they  both  sent  long  letters  to  the  brothers  in  New 
York  and  with  the  letters  went  many  a  prayer.  Ah  ! 
how  much  pain,  or  pleasure  is  carried  in  a  letter  ;  it  is 


158  JASON  AND  MA  TILDA. 

only  a  little  paper  and  ink,  but  still  it  has  changed  the 
destiny  of  many  a  person  ;  how  many  characters  have 
been  revealed  by  these  white  missives,  that  otherwise 
might  have  remained  unknown.  If  people  only  knew  it 
would  they  write  more  or  less  ?  If  every  letter  was  an 
exclamation  point  in  their  own  private  history,  would 
they  make  that  history  better  or  worse,  do  you  think  ? 
For,  surely,  those  two  letters  traveling  from  the  green 
hills  of  Vermont  to  the  busy  city  of  New  York,  proved 
to  be  but  searchlights  turned  on  to  the  lives  of  two 
men,  to  bring  out  the  good  and  bad  that  were  in  them. 
Those  brothers,  going  to  their  places  of  business,  little 
thought  of  what  was  traveling  toward  them,  to  awaken 
or  deaden  the  love  in  their  hearts  for  the  old  home  and 
kindred  ties.  Ah,  the  good  that  can  be  done  by  one 
single  act  of  kindness  !  How  few  realize  it ! 

A  few  evenings  later,  Lemuel  Hackett  called  in  at  the 
Hazelton  homestead,  and  stretched  his  long  legs  before 
the  fire  and  pitched  into  discussing  politics  and  religion 
until  Rufus  fairly  shuddered,  for  he  was  not  an  argu 
mentative  man,  neither  was  he  a  thinker;  he  was  will 
ing  to  let  the  world  go  along  in  an  easy  way,  provided 
he  could  be  comfortable.  Lemuel  mentally  said  to  him 
self:  "Talking  with  Rufus  Hazelton  is  just  like  milking 
a  farrar  cow;"  and  he  turned  quickly  around  to  Matilda, 
and,  in  his  high,  sharp  voice,  said — "  Has  it  come  ?  " 

She  was  knitting  and  not  expecting  this  question,  as 
she  had  been  listening  to  the  dreadful  things  he  had 
been  saying  for  the  sake  of  argument;  she  did  not  at 
first  know  what  he  referred  to.  "  Why,  what  do  you 
mean,  Lemuel?" 


JASON  AND  MATILDA.  159 

"Why,  the  idea  !  Has  it  hit  you,  yet  ?  "  And  then 
she  told  him  what  she  and  Jason  had  planned  to  do. 
He  gave  a  low  whistle,  and  sat  a  long  time  in  deep 
reflection,  and  then  said:  "I  am  afraid,  Matilda,  that 
the  idea  has  struck  you  on  the  wrong  side ;  ideas  are 
cranky  things,  and  you  can't  always  tell  where  they  are 
going  to  hit,  and  this  one  I  am  afraid  of." 

"Well,  Lemuel,  what  is  there  about  this  to  be  afraid 
of?" 

"  Well,  you  see,  I  have  read  a  good  deal  on  the  sub 
ject,  and,  supposing  they  come,  you  can  never  fill  them 
up.  You  see,  these  city  folks  live  to  eat,  and  don't  eat 
to  live.  I  tell  you,  Matilda,  it  would  be  a  hopeless 
job." 

"  Lemuel,  we  don't  have  any  sale  for  what  we  raise, 
and  why  not  let  them  eat  it  up  ?  " 

"  Oh,  that  isn't  it,  altogether  !  They  are  cranky  and 
difficult  to  please.  My  cousin,  Mary  Jane  Hackett, 
worked  at  one  of  the  hotels  up  in  the  mountains,  and 
she  heard  one  of  the  city  girls  say  to  another  one,  that 
she  hadn't  slept  all  night,  for  thinking  what  she  was 
going  to  have  for  breakfast.  Now,  you  needn't  tell  me, 
that  when  people  set  such  a  sight  by  vittles  and  drink, 
someone  hasn't  got  to  be  a  slave  to  their  appetite  ;  and, 
by  jiminy,  I  hate  to  see  you  undertake  it  and  break 
down." 

Matilda's  heart  sank  within  her,  for  there  was  some 
sense  in  what  Lemuel  had  said  ;  they  would  be  difficult 
and  hard  to  please.  At  this  juncture,  Jason  appeared 
at  the  door  and  said  :  "  I  declare,  Lem,  you  are  proving 
a  regular  wet  blanket !  These  people  may  not  be  the 


160  JASON  AND  MA  TILDA. 

kind  you  have  pictured,  in  the  least ;  and,  no  one  who 
has  to  work,  can  expect  all  roses  and  no  thorns  ;  and 
in  a  desperate  case  one  should  resort  to  the  great  law  of 
expediency."  And,  in  a  clear,  logical  manner,  he 
reasoned  that  city  boarders  were  not  angels  or  devils, 
and  if  others  had  entertained  them,  they  could. 

But  nothing  so  reassured  Lemuel  as  the  knowledge 
that  they  were  to  have  Washington  Reynold's  advice. 
We  all  have  our  ideals,  and  Jason  could  not  have  touched 
a  tenderer  chord  than  to  have  mentioned  the  name  of 
Washington  Reynolds.  He  worshipped  him;  and  had 
been  heard  to  say,  that,  "  If  George  Washington  was  the 
father  of  his  country,  Washington  Reynolds  was  the 
father  of  the  town;"  and  as  Washington  had  sent  gifts, 
letters  and  papers  to  every  inhabitant  of  the  town,  when 
ever  Lemuel  would  get  excited  in  an  argument  and 
would  say,  "If  Washington  Reynolds,  of  New  York  City, 
was  here  this  minute,  he  would  agree  with  me,"  would 
settle  the  point  in  the  minds  of  the  people,  and  it  is  no 
wonder  he  looked  upon  him  as  his  patron  saint 

"Byjiminy  !  whatever  he  says  to  do,  I  shall  stand  by  ;  if 
he  says  take  the  city  boarders,  why  take  them;  and  if  you 
don't  have  enough  to  fill  them  up,  why  I'll  turn  my  farm 
in,  and  go  to  raising  poultry,  beef  and  vegetables,  so 
they  can  go  home  once  in  their  lives  and  say  they  had 

enough  to  eat." 

*  * 
* 

When  the  two  brothers  received  and  read  their  let 
ters,  the  effect  they  produced  upon  them  was  opposite. 
Washington  wrote  to  the  parties,  that  he  thought  he 
knew  of  a  family  that  would  take  them  for  the  summer, 


JASON  AND  MA  TILDA.  1 61 

and  do  all  they  could  to  please  and  entertain  them  ;  and 
asked  an  interview,  which  was  granted,  and  was 
astonished  at  the  coincidence  that  he  knew  Mr.  Moore  in 
business  circles,  and  was  presented  to  the  wife,  daughter 
and  nephew.  They  had  wealth  and  influence,  but  Mr. 
Moore  had  been  advised  by  his  physician  to  have  com 
plete  rest  and  change,  and  they  had  made  up  their  minds 
to  go  far  enough  away  from  the  city  so  he  would  have 
no  temptation  to  run  back  to  look  after  his  business. 
A  change  in  our  surroundings,  if  taken  at  the  right  time, 
would  save  many  doctors'  bills  and  many  lives. 

Before  arrangements  were  entirely  completed  Wash 
ington  concluded  to  lay  the  case  before  his  brother 
John,  to  see  if  he  could  suggest  anything  better,  little 
thinking  that  he  had  thrown  the  matter  out  of  his  mind 
entirely.  The  next  morning  he  stepped  into  his  office, 
with  a  "  Good  morning,  John.  I  would  like  to  see  you 
a  few  moments  on  family  matters."  What  a  tall  hand 
some  man  John  Reynolds  was,  with  his  dark  hair,  deep 
blue  eyes,  and  glossy  side  whiskers  ;  what  elegant  poise 
of  the  head,  and  easy  manner  he  possessed  ;  no  wonder 
he  was  called  the  handsomest  man  who  walked  Broad 
way.  He  knew  it,  for  it  was  by  his  fine  appearance  that 
he  had  arisen  to  be  one  of  the  partners  in  the  firm,  and 
had  given  him  an  entree  into  a  wealthy  southern  family 
and  enabled  him  to  marry  an  heiress.  Washington  was 
fine  looking  also,  but  of  an  entirely  different  type.  His 
hair  was  light  and  sunny ;  he  wore  no  beard  and  his 
face  was  so  full  of  light  and  love,  that  everyone  set  him 
down  for  a  professional  man,  for  he  certainly  looked 
like  an  actor  posing  as  a  philanthropist. 


1 62  JASON  AND  MATILDA. 

11  Well,  what  is  it?  "  said  John. 

"Have  you  heard  from  home,  lately?" 

"  Heard  from  home  !  "  exclaimed  John,  thinking  his 
city  residence  was  referred  to. 

Washington  seeing  what  was  in  his  mind,  asked : 
"  Have  you  heard  from  Matilda,  lately  ?  " 

"  Why,  I  believe  I  got  a  letter  a  week  ago,  but  I 
haven't  read  it  yet — been  so  busy." 

"  Well,  don't  you  think  you  had  better  take  a  little 
time  and  read  it,  now?" 

John  took  the  letter  out  of  his  desk,  and  as  he  pro 
ceeded  in  the  reading  a  heavy  frown  gathered  on  his 
brow ;  as  he  finished  the  letter,  he  threw  it  down, 
saying  :  "  I  am  disgusted  !  " 

"Why,"  said  his  brother,  "  are  you  not  going  to  help 
them?" 

"No;  are  you?  " 

"Yes,  certainly." 

"  Why,  Wash,  you're  a  fool !  I  tell  you  our  brothers 
and  sisters  had  as  good  a  chance  to  get  on  in  the  world 
as  we  ;  and,  in  fact,  Rufus  Hazleton  had  a  better  one, 
and  as  for  my  letting  all  New  York  City  know  that  my 
family  in  Vermont  are  so  poor  that  they  have  to  take 
boarders,  I  won't — and  that's  an  end  of  it." 

"John,  Matilda  is  not  to  blame  for  Rufus'  lack  of 
energy,  and  she  being  a  woman,  has  not  the  oppor 
tunity  as  we  men." 

"  Well,  I  know  lots  of  women  who  have  succeeded." 

"  So  have  7,  but  not  as  she  has  been  situated.  You 
can't  tie  a  bird's  wings  and  tell  it  to  fly.  You  know 
she  took  good  care  of  our  father  and  mother  in  their 


JASON  AND  MATILDA.  163 

old  age,  and  was  to  them  a  stay  and  comfort,  and  she 
and  Rufus  could  not  be  at  home  taking  care  of  the  old 
people,  and  at  the  same  time  be  out  in  the  world  earn 
ing  money;  and  for  what  she  did  for  our  parents,  if  not 
for  her  sake,  we  should  try  to  help  them." 

"  I  want  you  to  understand,  Washington  Reynolds, 
that  I  don't  owe  my  father  and  mother  anything,"  was 
the  heartless  reply. 

"  Not  owe  them  anything?  "  and  the  portly  form  of 
Washington  seemed  to  grow  larger  and  larger,  while 
that  of  the  brother  shrank  into  the  size  of  a  pigmy — 
such  a  powerful  effect  has  the  spirit  over  the  human 
organism. 

"  Did  you  take  care  of  yourself  in  childhood,  John  ? 
Did  not  your  father  give  you  a  better  education  than 
other  farmers  gave  their  sons  ?  Did  not  your  mother 
stand  over  you  when  you  were  racked  with  fever?  " 

"  Oh,  bosh  !  My  folks  did  what  they  had  to  do,  and 
and  I  don't  see  as  I  owe  a  debt  of  gratitude  to  them  or 
anybody  else.  I  worked  night  and  day  to  succeed,  and 
I  have,  and  nothing  shall  pull  me  back.  I  have  no 
sympathy  or  high  flown  sentiments  ;  you  will  only  pull 
yourself  down  by  trying  to  help  them  up  ;  I  shall  look 
out  for  myself,  and  I  advise  you  to  do  the  same,  and 
when  we  are  old  we  shan't  have  to  ask  others  to  look 
out  for  us." 

"  Oh,  John  !  You  may  not  always  be  able  to  control 
circumstances ;  you  have  only  to  look  around  you  to 
see  men  who  are  rich  to-day  who  will  be  poor  to-morrow  ; 
if  I  were  you,  I  would  give  one  less  fashionable  dinner, 
and  do  this  act  of  kindness  for  those  who  have  a  claim 


1 64  JASON  AND  MA  TILDA. 

upon  you,  for  if  anything  should  happen  to  you  the 
world  will  forget  you  while  your  people  will  not." 

"  I  don't  intend  to  let  anything  happen  ! "  and  he 
turned  angrily  away. 

Washington  stood  and  mused  over  the  words  of  his 
brother,  and  before  his  spiritual  vision  the  future  was 
unrolled  of  his  brother's  life.  It  was  so  dark  and  drear 
he  would  have  called  him  back  again  to  reconsider  his 
decision,  for  he  truly  loved  him  ;  but  no,  the  die  was 
cast,  and  the  good  that  John  Reynolds  could  have  done 
was  past  and  gone  forever. 


*  * 

* 


The  money  came  from  the  noble  and  loving-hearted 
brother  Washington,  and  with  it  came  full  directions 
how  to  refurnish  and  repaint  the  old  house,  and  how  to 
beautify  the  grounds.  He  even  went  into  details  as  to 
the  variety  of  food,  and  the  manner  of  serving  it. 

Matilda  was  not  like  some  New  England  housewives ; 
she  did  not  expect  to  change  the  habits  of  people  who 
visited  her,  even  if  she  thought  her  way  the  better  way. 
She  knew  that  in  order  to  please  she  must  adapt  her- 
seif  to  the  circumstances  ;  and  to  please  people  who 
were  paying  them  money  was  absolutely  necessary. 
Breakfast  at  nine,  dinner  at  two,  supper  at  six,  were 
hours  out  of  all  reason  and  unheard  of  in  the  little 
town  of  Waybridge,  and  would  have  made  her  a  deal  of 
trouble  if  she  had  changed  her  own  hours  for  meals, 
which  were  six,  twelve  and  five. 

Is  it  true,  that  some  people  attract  sorrows  as  other 
do  money?  Surely  it  seemed  that  this  family  had  more 


JASON  AND  MA  TILDA.  165 

than  its  share  of  the  vicissitudes  of  life.  With  their 
minds  at  ease,  and  occupied  with  the  plans  for  the  com 
ing  summer,  the  family  would  have  been  comparatively 
happy,  if  something  had  not  occurred  to  pull  at  the 
heartstrings  of  Matilda.  George  Reynolds,  her  son, 
was  nineteen,  and  one  of  the  brightest,  handsomest 
young  men  in  town,  and,  like  many  another  young  man, 
had  tired  of  the  monotony  of  the  hill-side  farm,  and, 
with  others  of  his  age,  had  fallen  into  vicious  ways,  and 
had  been  known  to  come  home  much  the  worse  for  hard 
cider,  mixed  with  alcohol — the  latter  being  made  in  the 
sugar  orchards  during  the  spring.  There  is  not  so  mucji 
difference  between  a  strict  prohibition  State  and  its 
opposite,  as  many  people  think.  "The  difference  is  this  : 
The  prohibition  States  succeed  in  consuming  the  worst 
kind  of  liquor  which  is  expressed  to  them,  and  in  not 
only  making  the  worst  kind  of  drunkards,  but  sneaks 
and  hypocrites. 

One  day,  Matilda  thought  it  was  her  Christian  duty  to 
talk  to  George.  She  did  so,  and  was  astonished  at  his 
views  of  life.  He  said  he  could  not  content  himself 
during  the  long,  lonesome  winters,  buried  up  in  snow, 
with  a  class  of  people  who  never  got  out  but  once  a 
week,  and  then  only  to  go  to  church  to  listen  to  a  man 
who,  he  believed,  did  not  know  any  more  about  religion 
than  he  did. 

"  Oh,  don't  talk  that  way,  George." 

"  Well,  anyway,  he  don't  know  anything  about  human 
nature  when  he  says  that  all  the  fun  in  this  world  is  from 
the  devil — and  I  don't  believe  the  minister  is  any  better 
than  anybody." 


1 66  JASON  AND  MA  TILDA. 

His  mother  was  shocked  to  hear  him  talk  so  about 
her  beloved  pastor. 

"  Do  you  know,  George,  that  he  is  working  to  save 
your  soul  and  the  souls  of  others  ?  " 

"  Well,  mother,  let  him  stop  as  far  as  mine  is  con 
cerned,  for  I  don't  believe  that  a  man  who  slanders  God 
in  the  way  he  does  has  any  influence  with  Him  ;  for  if  I 
thought  God  was  as  mean  as  he  preaches  He  is,  and 
made  folks  just  for  the  purpose  of  damning  them,  I 
wouldn't  give  Him  standing  room  around  here." 

"Oh,  George,  you  don't  realize  what  you  are  talking 
ajt>out.  You  have  been  listening  to  that  infidel,  James 
Brown,  I  know;  you  don't  see  God's  divine  justice." 

"  I  don't  want  to  see  it !  Why,  take  as  good  a  fellow 
as  Uncle  Jason,  and  if  he  didn't  believe  all  the  creed 
he'd  be  damned  forever.  I'd  rather  be  a  heathen." 

Matilda  talked  over  the  condition  of  her  son's  mind 
with  the  brothers  and  sisters  in  the  church,  and  the 
minister,  and  she  found  that  she  was  only  one  of  the 
many  mothers  who  could  not  hold  their  sons  in  the 
straight  pathway  of  Christian  duty  and  rectitude,  so  they 
concluded  to  send  away  for  a  revivalist  and  have  a  series 
of  meetings  and  have  a  course  of  lectures  on  temper 
ance.  Among  the  many  amusing  ideas  advanced  of 
how  to  stop  intemperance,  Albina  Bennett's  took  the 
prize,  when  she  suggested  to  have  all  the  apple  trees  cut 
down  and  to  stop  making  maple  sugar. 

Lemuel  Hackett,  who  had  listened  night  after  night  to 
see  how  they  were  going  to  stop  up  the  holes  in  the 
threadbare  subject  of  intemperance,  could  hold  in  no 
longer,  and  arose  in  the  meeting  and  made  a  speech. 


JASON  AND  MA  TILDA.  167 

"  Brothers  and  sisters  of  this  Methodist  society  :  I  never 
heard  such  foolishness  as  I  have  heard  in  this  meeting 
house  this  week,  and  to  cap  the  climax,  Sister  Bennett's 
ideas  are  the  worst.  It's  no  wonder  St.  Paul  said,  'Let 
women  keep  silent  in  the  churches.'  ' 

At  this  juncture  the  maiden  lady  referred  to  arose  in 
great  wrath,  to  say,  "Well,  St.  Paul  was  an  old  bachelor 
like  you,  and  it's  a  good  thing  he  ain't  alive  to-day." 

But  Lemuel  paid  no  heed  to  her  and  continued  with 
his  speech.  "  I've  no  patience  with  this  string  govern 
ment  of  our  boys  and  girls  ;  some  screw  is  loose  in  this 
community  somewhere.  Someone  on  the  top  shelf  of 
the  church  may  be  setting  a  bad  example  of  dishonesty 
and  some  other  vices  on  the  sly,  which  our  boys  espe 
cially  have  found  out." 

This  did  not  seem  to  please  some  members  of  the 
society,  but  as  Lemuel  had  always  paid  liberally  they 
had  to  hear  him  out. 

Deacon  Sutherland  arose,  and  in  calm  and  awful 
tones,  said  he  felt  called  upon  by  God  to  say  that 
Lemuel  Hackett  was  slandering  the  Church  of  Christ. 

"  Amen  !  amen  !  "  shouted  Albina  Bennett. 

"Furthermore,"  continued  the  deacon,  "no  brother 
has  any  right  to  throw  cold  water  upon  our  efforts." 

One  old  lady,  who  was  a  little  ignorant,  asked : 
"  Before  the  meeting  went  on  she  would  like  to  know 
what  they  were  reviving  religion  for?  Was  it  dead  or 
had  it  fainted  away?  Wasn't  God  smart  enough  to  run 
his  own  business  ?  And  if  God  had  made  a  hell,  why 
not  let  Him  have  some  folks  to  put  into  it  and  not  try  to 
save  them  ?  "  Another  member  jumped  up  amid  a  roar 


1 68  JASON  AND  MATILDA. 

oflaughter  from  the  younger  ones,  and  said  :  "  I  move 
that  no  woman  be  allowed  to  speak  again  in  this  meet 
ing  ;  if  they  do,  I  believe  the  church  steeple  will  totter 
and  fall." 

Lemuel  arose  and  said  :  "  If  the  coat  hadn't  fitted 
some  present,  they  would  not  have  put  it  on  ;  and  if  the 
Bible  was  true,  it  said,  '  to  know  the  truth  was  to  speak 
it ;'  and  every  good  Christian  ought  to  wash  their  own 
dirty  linen  before  going  out  around  seeking  that  of  out 
siders  ;  and,  in  fact,  he  would  like  to  shout  it,  so  the 
angels  above  could  hear,  that  if  our  boys  and  girls  had 
not  seen  people  on  top  shelves  and  high  places  doing 
wrong,  they  would  not  have  tried  to  lock  ai  ms  with  the 
devil  and  shun  the  life  of  Christ,  as  he  saw  them  doing 
all  around  him  ;"  and  he  sat  down  with  groans  from 
some,  and  amens  from  others ;  and  one  of  the  toughs 
who  had  attended  the  meeting  for  fun,  called  out : 
"  Bully  for  you,  old  Lem  !"  and  Albina  Bennett  fainted 
away. 

In  vain  the  mild  Rev.  Robinson  tried  to  calm  the 
troubled  waters ;  he  prayed  loud  and  fervently ;  he 
wiped  his  eyes  frequently  with  his  fine  linen  handker 
chief,  but  the  meeting  broke  up  with  a  great  deal  of 
feeling,  and  although  he  pressed  brothers'  and  sisters' 
hands  warmly,  as  they  bade  him  "good-night,"  he  felt 
unhappy  and  distressed  over  the  lack  of  union  among 
them.  Some  wicked  boys  say  that  they  hid  behind  the 
door  and  saw  him  kiss  Albina  Bennett  on  the  sly ;  and 
that  Deacon  Sutherland  walked  home  with  Widow  Gray, 
and  was  overheard  to  say  to  her  :  "  Let  us  stick  together, 
dear  sister,  with  the  wax  of  righteousness.  Of  course, 


JASON  AND  MATILDA.  169 

the  devil  will  try  to  part  us  ;  still,  let  us  stick  together — 
stick  together." 

Matilda  appealed  to  Jason  after  she  found  that  there 
was  no  satisfaction  in  the  revival  meetings,  as  matters 
were  going  on  just  the  same  in  George's  habits. 

Jason  stood  thoughtfully,  looking  out  upon  the  trees 
loaded  with  snow  ;  and  the  beauty  of  the  sun,  reflected 
on  the  hard,  white  crust,  was  lost  to  his  artistic  nature, 
as  he  reflected  on  the  monotony  it  must  produce  on  the 
minds  of  the  young  around  him.  "  Matilda,"  he  said, 
"  we  can't  keep  the  boys  and  girls  of  New  England 
where  you  and  I  were  kept  years  ago  ;  first,  remember 
the  families  are  much  smaller,  and  they  have  not  the 
same  vital  powers  which  enabled  their  grandfathers  to 
work  all  day  cutting  trees  and  their  grandmothers  to 
spin,  and  then,  in  the  evening,  ride  on  an  ox  sled  to  an 
apple-paring.  People  don't  seem  to  take  in  the  situa 
tion  and  supply  the  want  of  the  age,  especially  in  a 
town  like  this.  Something  should  be  done  in  the  way 
of  giving  dances ;  and  the  social  nature  is  not  very 
active  on  an  empty  stomach  and  a  glass  of  cold  water." 

"  Would  you  have  them  drink,  Jason  ?" 

"  Not  anything  that  would  harm  them  ;  but  coffee, 
sweet  cider  and  home-made  beer  will  not  harm  any 
one ;  and  half  the  people  drink  liquor  just  for  the  sake 
of  being  social,  I  believe." 

"Well,  you  had  better  organize  some  parties,  for 
with  you  as  a  leader,  I  know  they  will  come  to  no  harm  ; 
your  life  has  always  been  blameless  and  above  reproach, 
and  with  you  I  know  it  will  all  come  out  right." 

And  so  the  long,  tedious  winter  took  wings,  and  flew 


1 70  JASON  AND  UfA  TILDA. 

into  the  past;  it  would  always  remain  one  of  the  happy 
spots  in  their  memory,  when  sadder  hours  and  darker 

days  met  them  in  the  future. 

*  * 
* 

When  the  spring  opened  and  the  Hazletons  had 
remodelled  the  old  place  inside  and  out,  it  did  not 
please  the  community  at  large,  but  as  the  Moores,  from 
New  York,  had  decided  to  board  with  them,  they  felt 
they  must  do  it.  People  in  the  country  do  not  like  to  be 
disturbed  in  their  notions,  and  they  had  not  painted 
their  house  white,  with  green  blinds,  which  people 
were  accustomed  to  see  so  much — a  row  of  which 
reminds  one  of  a  cemetery;  and  George  and  Jason 
had  made  seats,  and  swings,  and  placed  out — door 
games,  which  had  been  sent  on  by  their  expected 
boarders.  Deacon  Sutherland  rode  over  and  gave 
them  his  opinion  about  such  foolishness,  but  did  not 
say  anything  against  the  improvements,  as  he  expected 
some  day  to  own  the  farm  ;  he  did  not  endorse  the 
scheme  of  having  boarders,  but  he  did  not  forget  to 
take  every  thing  that  was  of  any  use  to  him  for  interest 
money,  much  to  the  disgust  of  Jason  and  Matilda,  who 
were  fast  getting  their  eyes  open. 

At  the  next  prayer  meeting  the  deacon  prayed 
earnestly  for  those  members  who  were  decking  them 
selves  out  in  fine  feathers  to  please  the  pride  of  the 
inhabitants  of  that  wicked  city,  New  York.  Matilda 
and  Jason  looked  at  each  other — the  one,  with 
sorrow  for  the  mm's  hypocrisy;  the  other,  with  a  firm 
determination  in  her  mind  to  free  herself  from  his 
clutches,  if  human  exertion  could  do  it  So  life  went 


JASON  AND  MA  TILDA,  1 7  » 

on  with  the  under  current  of  events,  unseen  upon 
the  surface,  perhaps,  but  making  up  a  web  of  which 
we  are  all  daily  weaving. 

When  the  boarders  did  arrive  they  proved  to  be  very 
charming  people.  Eugene  Moore  had  been  abroad  to 
study  the  art  of  painting ;  he  was  refined  and  genial, 
and  generous  to  a  fault.  He  and  Jason  became  warm 
friends,  and  as  the  latter  had  considerable  talent, 
Eugene  offered  to  become  his  teacher.  Miss  Minnie 
Moore  would  walk,  talk  and  laugh  with  George  Hazel- 
ton  as  freely  as  if  he  were  city  born  and  bred,  and 
before  the  season  was  half  over  it  was  plain  to  see  that 
love  was  making  greater  reformation  in  the  habits  and 
character  of  this  young  man  than  religion  could  possi 
bly  have  done. 

The  Moores  were  delighted  with  Hazelton  farm. 
What  delicious  food  was  put  before  them  ;  such  butter, 
cream  and  fruit  they  had  never  before  eaten.  Mr. 
Moore  said  "  it  seemed  strange  to  have  a  chicken  that 
was  a  chicken  ;"  and  they  could  not  imagine  how  all 
the  housework  could  be  accomplished  with  no  more 
friction  than  there  appeared  to  be,  minus  servants, 
bustle,  dirt  and  noise.  If  they  had  had  a  glimpse  behind 
the  scenes,  they  would  have  found  everyone  of  the  fam 
ily  working  in  a  systematic  manner,  under  the  general 
ship  of  Matilda,  whose  "aide-de-camp''  was  Jason  ;  and 
the  great  incentive  of  all  of  them,  was  saving  the  old 
farm. 

Andrew    Moore    was    what   is    termed    a    self  made 

man  ;   in  the  sense  that  he  had  worked  hard  during  his 

ays    and  harder  still  by  studying  nights  ;  and  by  his 


i?2  JASON  AND  MA  TILDA. 

wonderful  perseveraiTce  and  energy,  he  had  amassed  a 
large  fortune.  It  has  been  said  many  times,  that  a  self- 
made  man  is  only  half  made  ;  meaning  that  they  lack  a 
certain  polish  that  a  man  who  has  not  had  such  a  strain 
upon  his  resourses  possesses.  But  if  such  people  lack  in 
polish,  they  surely  gain  in  strength  and  worldly  wisdom. 
Here  was  a  man  who  would  accept  no  theory  or  scheme 
until  it  had  been  burned  in  the  crucible  of  his  reason  ; 
in  fact  his  whole  nature  was  fitted  to  become  a  radical 
thinker.  He  looked  upon  those  who  leaned  upon 
priests  or  clergymen,  with  the  same  pity  as  he  would  if 
they  were  obliged  to  use  crutches  to  enable  them  to 
walk.  He  was  not  harsh  in  his  criticism  toward  others, 
but  extremely  tolerant  ;  for  his  own  family  had  steadily 
grown  from  the  most  conservative  church  to  the  most 
liberal  ;  and  he  had  been  heard  to  say  that  there  was 
hope  for  them,  and  that  in  time  they  could  trust  and 
rely  upon  their  own  moral  natures. 

He  met,  and  became  acquainted  with  James  Brown, 
known  in  Waybridge  as  the  "  the  infidel,"  who  was  a  man 
of  strong  character  and  considerable  means  ;  many  slur 
ring  remarks  were  made  about  "old  Brown"  as  they  called 
him,  and  his  family  also,  which  consisted  of  a  wife  and  two 
lovely  girls.  True,  he  paid  his  debts,  was  kind  to  the  poor, 
did  not  speak  ill  of  his  neighbors,  and  was  very  indus 
trious,  but  he  did  not  accept  the  creed  of  the  Methodist 
Church.  In  fact,  the  religious  world,  generally  speaking, 
had  no  scheme  of  God,  or  of  the  hereafter  which  he 
could  indorse.  ,He  would  say  :  "  If  I  am  to  be  damned 
for  my  unbelief,  then  damned  it  is  !  I  will  never  die  a 
hypocrite  or  a  liar."  He  was  always  fearless  in  speaking 


JASON  AND  MATILDA.  173 

for  the  right,  and  many  a  quarrel  was  averted,  and  law 
suit  withdrawn  by  the  advice  and  influence  of  James 
Brown  ;  but  his  influence  extended  to  those  outside  of 
the  church,for  the  Rev.  Robinson  had  called  him  "  God's 
accursed"  in  one  of  his  sermons,  and  Deacon  Sutherland 
had  been  heard  to  shout  a  loud,  "  Amen  !"  but  his  amen 
did  not  have  the  weight  it  would  have  had,  if  the  day 
before  he  had  not  cheated  in  a  horse  trade  which  the 
entire  town  knew  about,  and  which  the  outsiders  con 
demned,  and  the  church  members  wished  had  been 
done  a  little  more  slyly. 

As  soon  as  Andrew  Moore  had  been  to  church  a  few 
times  (and  he  went  to  please  those  who  had  a  sympathy 
for  old  and  bygone  customs,  to  listen  to  old  ideas),  he 
learned  the  history  of  nearly  everyone  in  town,  for  the 
members  of  the  church  had  not  outgrown  the  sin  of 
backbiting  and  scandalizing  others,  forgetting  the  Bible 
teachings  of  "  Love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself."  Moore 
and  Brown  would  discuss  the  question  of  religion  and 
the  hereafter  for  hours,  and  when  this  occurred  they 
would  always  attract  a  crowd.  Moore,  with  all.  his  dis 
gust  for  the  forms  and  teachings  of  many  of  the  churches 
was  no  materialist ;  he  believed  in  the  soul  and  in  the 
identity  of  the  individuality,  and  no  sophistry,  like  the 
theories  of  some  of  the  advanced  thinkers,  who  believe 
that  the  soul  can  return  and  inhabit  another  body,  thus 
losing  the  experience  of  the  past  and  one's  identity,  could 
catch  him. 

He  would  say  :  "  I  do  not  believe  in  the  annihilation 
of  one's  individuality  ;  it  is  only  another  form  of  mate 
rialism,  which  means  a  loss  of  all  our  experience  in  life, 


1 74  JASON  AND  MA  TILDA. 

which  has  been  so  hard  to  gain  ;  it  is  more  repulsive 
than  the  idea  that  death  ends  all ;  for,  what  object  could 
there  be  in  creation  if  we  could  be  re-wound  like  a 
clock,  and  at  each  turn  of  the  wheel  lost  what  had  been 
previously  gained  ?  Nature  is  progressive,  and  rolls 
forward  and  onward,  and  not  downward  and  backward, 

in  all  forms  of  life." 

*  * 
* 

It  is  true  that  Paris  is  a  year  in  advance  of  the  New 
York  styles  and  that  city  is  many  years  ahead  of  most 
of  the  New  England  towns.  Eugene  Moore  had,  one 
hot  morning  in  July,  donned  a  white  flannel  lawn-tennis 
suit,  and  was  taking  a  stroll  over  the  hills  before  break 
fast,  to  find  a  view  for  his  canvas  ;  Matilda  and  Jason 
were  both  in  the  mysteries  of  the  culinary  art,  when 
Lemuel  Hackett,  who  had,  as  usual,  arisen  very  early  to 
get  a  start  in  his  farm  work,  caught  a  glimpse  of  young 
Moore.  Now,  while  Lemuel  had  good  sense  upon  poli 
tics  or  religion,  fashion  was  completely  beyond  his  ideas. 
He  was  nearsighted,  and  not  quick  to  take  in  a  situa 
tion  ;  so,  not  waiting  to  finish  his  task,  he  rushed  breath 
less  into  the  presence  of  Matilda  and  Jason. 

"  I  tell  you  what,  Matilda,  you  just  step  back  a  bit, 
and  Jason  and  I  will  just  sneak  that  young  fellow  into 
the  house,  unbeknown  to  anyone." 

"Who  do  you  mean?"  said  they  both  in  a  breath. 

"  Why,  your  darn  fool  of  a  city  boarder.  He  don't 
seem  to  know  when  he  ought  to  go  out,  or  when  to 
stay  in  !  "  and  he  pulled  Jason  to  the  door,  and  pointed 
over  the  hill.  At  that  moment  the  figure  of  the  young 
artist  loomed  up  in  sight. 


JASON  AND  MATILDA.  175 

Matilda's  curiosity  was  like  most  of  her  sex,  and  she 
followed  close  behind  Jason,  and  the  thought  flashed 
into  her  mind  what  Lemuel  thought  of  her  boarder. 
She  rarely  laughed,  as  she  as  rarely  cried,  but  she  did 
laugh  this  morning  until  the  tears  rolled  down  her  face. 
She  saw  the  ludicrous  side  of  life,  as  well  as  she  saw  the 
serious,  and  with  the  same  strength.  Jason,  at  first,  did 
not  realize  what  had  so  disturbed  Lemuel,  but  when  he 
did,  his  mirth  joined  Matilda's  in  such  a  happy  chorus 
that  even  the  birds  stopped  their  songs. 

"  By  gosh  !  I  don't  see  what  there  is  to  laugh  about. 
Perhaps  you  think,  Matilda,  that  folks  ought  to  be 
clothed  like  the  lilies  of  the  field,  that  the  Bible  tells 
about?  But  I  say,  that  if  that  fellow  don't  know 
enough  to  put  his  pants  on  over  his  drawers,  then  some 
one  ought  to  tell  him.  Our  girls  round  here  are  used 
to  seeing  folks  in  their  shirt  sleeves,  but  I'll  be  darned 
if  that  fellow  seems  to  know  that  he  must  draw  the  line 
there.  At  first,  I  thought  it  was  a  spirit,  for  you  know, 
Matilda,  the  Bible  says  that  God  made  a  ladder  for 
spirits  to  troop  up  and  down  on,  to  accommodate  Jacob. 
I  didn't  know  but  He  was  repeating  the  thing.  But  when 
he  began  to  whistle  and  shout  for  your  old  dog,  Tray,  I 
said  :  '  This  is  no  angel,  but  a  regular  darn  fool ! '  Now, 
you  may  laugh  all  you  please,  but  I  think  there  is  such 
a  thing  as  morality  in  the  world,  and  I  have  read  about 
their  going  without  clothes  in  some  of  the  shows  in 
New  York  City,  but  I  don't  think  they  ought  to  be 
allowed  to  here." 

The  more  Matilda  would  try  to  talk,  the  harder  she 
would  laugh,  and  she  did  get  things  mixed  up.  At 


176  JASON  AND  MATILDA. 

last  she  did  say  :  "  Why,   Lem,  that  is  a  lawn-tennis 
suit." 

"A  what?" 

"A  lawn-tennis  suit,"  she  said. 

"  Oh,"  said  Lem,  "  made  of  lawn  !  So  much  the 
worse.  My  cousin,  Mary  Ann,  had  a  dress  made  of 
lawn,  and  the  first  time  she  brushed  past  some  black 
berry  bushes,  she  tore  the  darn  thing  most  all  off  of 
her." 

"  No,  Lem  ;  I  mean  white  flannel  clothes,  such  as 
they  wear  in  New  York  when  they  play  out-door 
games ;  of  course,  no  one  wears  them  that  has  to  work, 
and  I  suppose  that  is  what  set  the  fashion — so  they 
would  not  be  mistaken  for  the  working  class." 

"Do  you  mean  to  tell  me,  Matilda  Hazelton,  that 
folks  are  ashamed  to  work?" 

"  Why,  I  suppose  so,"  said  she.  "  You  know  there 
has  always  been  two  classes,  the  rich  and  the  poor,  ever 
since  the  time  that  Christ  hadn't  a  place  to  lay  his 
head."  For  Matilda  was  a  woman  who  had  good 
reasons  for  all  human  actions. 

"  Gosh  all  hemlock  !  If  that  don't  beat  the  Dutch  ! 
It  seems  to  me  they  ought  to  be  ashamed  to  think  they 
don't  know  enough  to  work." 

"Why,"  said  Jason,  "they  may  know  enough,  but 
they  don't  have  to  work,  having  enough  money  to  do 
and  dress  as  they  please." 

"Well,  I  suppose  they  can,"  said  Lem,  with  a  deep- 
drawn  sigh;  "  but  I'll  be  darned  if  I  thought  there  was 
such  a  difference  between  the  rich  and  the  poor,  and 
that  folks  had  to  go  decked  out  in  white  to  let  the 


JASON  AND  MATILDA.  177 

others  know  that  they  belonged  to  the  upper  crust. 
Why.  we  might  as  well  have  a  king  and  queen.  This- 
free  country,  that  our  forefathers,  and  mothers  too, 
fought  and  bled  for,  and  that  God  Almighty  keeps  a 
special  eye  on,  as  I  always  supposed — if  it  conies  to 
such  a  pass,  it  takes  my  appetite  away,  so  I  couldn't 
eat  the  best  breakfast  in  the  land."  And  he  stalked 
mournfully  home  without  his  usual  happy  whistle. 

This  conversation  so  worried  Lemuel,  that  he  resolved 
to  tackle  Mr.  Moore  on  the  first  occasion.  This  gentle 
man  had  taken  a  decided  liking  to  Lem,  on  account  of 
his  originality  ;  Mr.  Moore  always  making  him  feel  at 
ease,  so  that  he  appeared  at  his  best  when  talking  with 
him.  "  I  say,  colonel,"  said  Lem  one  morning,  "  what 
is  all  this  talk  about  the  rich  and  the  poor?  I've  read 
something  about  it  in  the  New  York  papers,  but  always 
thought  it  was  the  darn  lies  of  those  newspaper  fellows, 
who  can  lie  faster  than  a  horse  can  trot,  but  something' 
came  up  the  other  morning  that  set  me  to  thinking." 

"  Oh,"  said  Mr.  Moore,  with  a  smile,  "  you  mean 
labor  and  capital !  Well,  there  is  no  real  trouble,  or 
there  should  not  be.  It  is  like  this,  my  friend — the 
rich  man  claims  he  is  taking  the  greatest  risk,  and  ought 
to  have  the  greatest  gain." 

"  Why,  ain't  there  lots  of  things,"  said  Lem,  "  that  a 
man  does,  where  he  risks  his  life,  like  going  down  into 
coal  mines,  and  lots  of  other  things — and  what  greater 
risk  can  a  man  take  than  his  own  life?  " 

"Why,  the  risk  of  his  money,  Mr.  Hackett !  I 
know  many  a  man  who  would  risk  his  life  for  his 
money,  but  not  his  money  for  his  life." 


i?8  JASON  AND  MA  TILDA. 

"  Well,  that  ain't  according  to  Scripture,  colonel,  for 
it  says,  '  What  profiteth  a  man  if  he  gain  the  whole 
world  and  loseth  his  own  soul  ?  ' ' 

"  That  is  not  preached  much  to-day,  any  more  than 
the  text,  '  Give  all  thou  hast  to  the  poor  and  follow  me.' 
If  they  should  carry  that  out  literally  the  church  doors 
would  be  closed.  No  !  I  suppose  men  will  go  on 
accumulating  money  to  curse  future  generations  with 
until  the  end  of  time.  I  may  be  as  bad  as  the  rest,  but 
I  do  try  and  spend  some  during  my  life,  which  I  believe 
is  doing  some  good." 

"  Gee  whitaker  !  You  open  every  pore  in  my  darn  old 
body,  and  make  me  sweat  more  than  I  ever -did  in 
haying.  According  to  your  ideas,  we've  got  a  King 
here  in  America,  and  his  name  is  Gold,  and  you've  got 
to  get  a  hold  on  him  some  way,  or  else  you've  got  to 
be  put  down  and  rubbed  out  !  Ideas,"  said  Lem,  getting 
excited  and  waving  his  arms  in  the  air,  "goodness,  hard 
work  and  education  is  all  darn  foolishness  if  you  ain't 
got  money — that's  about  the  size  of  it,  ain't  it,  colonel  ?" 
and  Lem's  face  was  so  red  that  you  could  not  tell  where 
the  hair  commenced. 

"  Tut,  tut,  my  friend,  not  quite  so  bad  as  that ;  but  I 
must  confess  that  in  our  large  cities,  it  builds  a  wall  too 
high  for  an  ordinary  individual  to  climb  without  money, 

unless  he  wishes  to  take  the  risk  of  breaking  his  neck." 

*  * 
* 

Mr.  Moore  and  James  Brown  had  formed  a  Liberal 
Club  and  started  a  course  of  Sunday  lectures,  and 
among  the  speakers  was  a  friend  of  the  Moore  family, 
Miss  Ellen  Willard.  She  was  to  remain  with  the 


JASON  AND  MATILDA.  179 

Hazletons  on  the  farm,  and  old  and  young  seemed 
strongly  attached  to  her.  Her  eloquent  speaking  on 
Sunday  evenings  rilled  the  hall  to  its  utmost  capacity. 
What  could  be  wrapped  up  in  so  small  a  woman  that 
her  words  seemed  divine  ?  She  looked  like  a  child  in 
figure,  but  her  face  was  of  one  who  had  passed  under 
the  rod  of  affliction,  and  was  matured  far  beyond  her 
years  ;  her  hair  was  so  glossy  and  brown  that  it  looked 
like  the  wing  of  a  thrush  ;  her  eyes  were  dark  blue, 
large  and  dreamy,  but  black  and  full  of  fire  when  filled 
with  the  subject  which  she  handled  with  so  much  skill. 
She  was  a  humanitarian  in  her  belief,  but  was  unlike 
some  of  the  reformers  of  the  day — she  did  not  speak 
above  the  people  but  directly  to  them.  There  was  that 
rapport  between  herself  and  audience  which  individu 
alized  the  thought  and  made  it  seem  like  a  plea  or  word 
of  advice  to  each  and  every  one.  Time  and  place  were 
forgotten  in  the  enchantment  of  her  musical  voice,  the 
truth  of  her  thought  and  above  all  the  inspiration  that 
seemed  to  be  back  of  every  word  she  uttered. 

None  of  her  hearers  were  more  charmed  than  Jason 
Reynolds ;  his  soul  responded  to  every  thought  and 
emotion  of  this  beautiful  speaker.  Matilda,  no  less 
than  others,  felt  the  power  of  this  woman's  magnetic 
presence,  but  she  was  one  who  did  not  break  away  from 
old  ideas  easily  and  fall  in  with  everything  new;  her 
belief  was  native  fruit,  and  anything  grafted  on  the  old 
tree  must  be  of  superior  quality. 

"What  was  there,"  thought  Matilda,  "  about  this 
woman  which  recalled  another  person,  another  scene, 
years  ago?"  The  picture  in  her  memory  was  very 


1 80  JASON  AND  MA  TILDA. 

different,  as  she  saw  once  more  the  winter  night  at  Dea 
con  Sutherland's  house  :  A  young  girl,  scarcely  fifteen, 
with  large  blue  eyes  and  golden  hair,  modest  and  shy  in 
manner ;  but  this  same  young  girl  was  thrust  out  from 
that  home  under  most  terrible  circumstances.  True, 
Matilda  knew  that  Deacon  Sutherland  was  the  cause  of 
it  all,  but  she  had  the  old-fashioned  idea  of  wrong 
doing  in  women  ;  and  he  had  repented,  been  baptized, 
and  taken  into  the  church,  and  no  one  prayed  louder  or 
more  fervently  than  he,  or  was  more  assured  that  Christ 
had  washed  away  his  sins.  He  had  called  her  notice  to 
an  account  in  a  paper,  how  Nellie  Blake,  the  girl  who 
had  her  home  with  him,  had  died  suddenly  in  a  Massa 
chusetts  hospital.  But  the  moment  Matilda  came  into 
the  presence  of  this  talented  lady,  she  could  only  see 
one  person,  think  of  one  face  of  the  past,  which  turned 
appealingly  to  hers  years  ago.  If  she  had  been  a  woman 
of  imagination,  she  would  have  given  it  but  little 
thought ;  but  she  was  not,  and  it  worried  her,  for  she 
was  a  righteous  woman,  and  had  no  confidence  in  people 
who  winked  at  sin,  especially  in  woman.  She,  of  course, 
believed  in  total  depravity — it  was  part  of  her  creed  ;  but 
she  communed  and  prayed  with  Deacon  Sutherland, 
whose  soul  was  washed  by  the  blood  of  Christ  as  white 
as  snow. 

As  the  days  glided  by,  and  she  saw  the  growing 
attachment  between  the  lady  and  Jason,  she  was  deter 
mined  in  some  way  to  test  her  impressions  of  this 
woman.  She  sent  for  Deacon  Sutherland  one  day,  when 
it  was  disagreeable  and  stormy,  and  the  ladies  could  not 
go  out.  She  had  interest  to  pay  on  the  mortgage,  and 


JASON  AND  MA  TILDA.  1 8  r 

she  wanted  to  consult  him  about  transferring  it  to 
another  party.  Jason  had  recommended  James  Brown, 
but  she  had  not  fully  decided  upon  that  point ;  but 
Jason  would  insist  that,  while  he  was  not  a  Christian,  he 
was,  at  least,  an  honest  man.  This  particular  afternoon, 
when  the  business  was  completed,  except  signing  some 
papers,  she  said  :  "  Step  into  the  front  room,  Deacon, 
and  I  will  get  pen,  ink  and  paper.  Miss  Willard  was 
alone,  reading  ;  and,  as  the  tall  form  of  Matilda  entered 
the  room,  accompanied  by  the  deacon,  she  looked  up 
and  smiled,  but  quickly  dropped  her  eyes.  Matilda 
said:  "  Deacon  Sutherland,  Miss  Willard."  As  if  she 
had  received  an  electric  shock,  Ellen  Willard  rose  to  her 
feet.  The  deacon,  who  was  portly,  and  inclined  to  apo 
plexy,  fairly  turned  purple.  He  looked  directly  into  the 
eyes  of  the  woman  before  him,  and  almost  uttered  the 
words  aloud  :  "  Has  the  dead  come  to  life  ?  "  but  he  did 
not ;  for  if  there  is  one  thing  more  than  another  that 
saves  a  villian,  it  is  their  self-possession  ;  he  only  bowed 
stiffly,  and  took  up  the  pen  and  signed  his  name  delib 
erately,  as  if  nothing  had  happened  to  disturb  him. 

When  they  returned  to  the  kitchen,  if  Matilda  had 
doubts  of  Miss  Willard's  identity,  she  had  none  now, 
for  the  story  flitted  over  the  face  of  that  trembling 
woman,  which  was  painted  by  that  invisible  spirit  within, 
as  if  an  artist  had  placed  it  upon  canvas.  Deacon  Suth 
erland  spoke  in  a  stifled  voice  :  "  Where  did  that  woman 
come  from  ?" 

"  You  think  you  know  her,  do  you  ?  " 

"  I  ?  Yes — no  !  She  resembles  one  whom  I  believed 
to  be  dead,  and  it  gave  me  quite  a  start." 


1 8a  JASON  AND  MA  TILDA. 

"  Well,  Deacon,  I  fear,  same  as  you,  that  the  girl  who 
went  out  of  your  home  in  disgrace  years  ago,  is  sitting 
in  yonder  parlor.  Your  sin  of  the  past  has  found  you 
out  again ! " 

"  There  you  are  mistaken,"  said  he  ;  "  for  if  repent 
ance  and  forgiveness  of  sin  is  not  true  in  our  creed,  then 
it's  not  worth  the  paper  it  is  written  on,"  and  he  brought 
his  fist  down  upon  the  table  to  enphasize  the  thought. 

"  But,  are  you  sure,  Brother  Sutherland,  that  you 
have  atoned  for  the  past,  by  doing  good  deeds  in  the 
present?" 

"  I  don't  have  to  do  anything  of  the'  sort  !  It  is 
belief,  and  not  deeds,  that  saves  the  soul  !  If  you  think, 
Sister  Hazelton,  that  you  are  going  to  get  to  heaven  on 
your  own  merits,  as  the  wicked  and  cursed  infidels  tell 
about,  you'll  find  yourself  outside  the  gates  of  Paradise  ; 
for  it  is  'believe  and  be  saved,'  or  if  not,  '  be  damned,' 
as  I  understand  the  creed ;  it  says  nothing  about  deeds. 
I  fear  some  dreadful  evil  will  fall  upon  our  town  and 
church  in  consequence  of  these  liberal  meetings.  You 
are  the  cause  of  it  all,  and  you  will  be  punished  for  it, 
and,  if  I  can  have  my  way,  before  the  winter  has  come, 
we  will  have  a  church  meeting  called,  and  see  if  good 
Christians  can  harbor  infidels,  and  still  keep  their 
standing  in  the  church." 

The  deacon  was  thinking  more  of  losing  his  hold  upon 
the  Hazelton  place  than  of  his  humility  in  facing  a 
wrong  nearly  forgotten  ;  so,  slamming  the  door  after 
him,  he  drove  away. 

Matilda  said  not  a  word  to  any  one  in  regard  to  her 
conversation  with  Brother  Sutherland,  but  waited,  like  a 


JASON  AND  MA  TILDA.  183 

sensible  woman,  for  fate  to  turn  the  table  of  events. 

The  following  Saturday,  Miss  Willard,  who  loved  to 
play  and  walk  with  the  younger  members  of  the  house 
hold,  came  in  with  hair  unbound,  flushed  cheeks,  and 
said  to  Matilda,  in  her  flute-like  voice  :  "  I  feel  like  a 
child  again,  only  far  happier  than  I  was  when  a  child  ;" 
and  her  eyes  filled  with  tears. 

Matilda  was  not  an  unkind  woman  at  heart,  but  she 
could  not  resist  the  temptation  of  letting  her  know  that 
she  knew  who  she  was.  "  Yes,  you  look  now  as  I 
remembered  you  when  a  child,  only  the  last  time  you 
were  much  unhappier." 

There  came  a  look  of  anguish  into  the  dark,  deep  blue 
eyes.  "Ah  !  my  dear  Mrs.  Hazelton,  I  am  a  very  differ 
ent  woman  than  my  childhood  would  have  warranted  ;  my 
youth  was  marred  by  the  reckless  hand  of  others  ;  but  the 
picture  has  been  retouched  by  one  good  woman's  heart, 
and,  I  trust,  made  brighter  by  my  own  personal  efforts." 

This  was  not  what  Matilda  expected  her  to  say  ;  evi 
dently  she  did  feel  keenly  the  mark  of  sin  that  was  upon 
her.  Matilda  felt  that  she  would  not  again  go  to  hear 
her  speak  until  she  had  given  her  more  of  her  confi 
dence  ;  so  she  missed  the  morning  service,  and  as  the 
others  had  all  gone  for  a  drive,  and  as  Miss  Willard 
rested  preparatory  to  her  evening  lecture,  Matilda  was 
surprised  when  she  stepped  into  the  parlor  and  stood 
before  her. 

"  Mrs.  Hazelton,  you  did  not  come  to  hear  me  speak 
this  morning,  and  I  missed  your  frank,  intelligent  face ; 
for  I  depend  upon  my  audience  as  much  as  they  do 
upon  me.  Why  were  you  not  there  ?" 


184  JASON  AND  MA  TILDA. 

How  long  the  time  seemed  before  Matilda  answered 
her  tone  was  not  angry  or  cold,  but  sad  and  determined. 
"  I  could  not,  Miss  Willard.     I  should  have  thought  of 
one  person,  and  of  that  person's  past  life." 

"And  her  name?"  asked  Miss  Willard,  in  a  trembling 
voice. 

"  Was  Nellie  Blake,  and  her  sin,  scarlet"  answered 
Matilda. 

Ellen  Willard  seemed  to  grow  inches  taller,  and  her 
voice  was  as  clear  as  a  bell  as  she  asked  :  "Mrs.  Hazel- 
ton,  what  is  sin  ?" 

Matilda  did  not  answer. 

"  Oh,  Mrs.  Hazelton,  hear  me  !"  and  the  woman  who 
had  stood  so  erect  a  moment  ago,  now  knelt  at  the  feet 
of  her  who  was  about  to  judge  her  life.  "  Listen,"  said 
she;  "I  realize  that  you  know  my  story  as  it  came  to 
you  years  ago,  but  not  as  it  really  was.  When  my 
father  left  me  with  Deacon  Sutherland,  who  was  his  old 
school  friend,  I  was  but  a  mere  child  ;  and  a  more  timid 
one  could  scarcely  be  found  ;  I  was  afraid  of  thunder 
and  lightning  and  shrank  from  strangers;  I  was  not 
developed  in  the  least  through  the  mind  or  soul.  You 
cannot  imagine  how  unkind  and  cruel  Mrs.  Sutherland 
was  to  me  ;  she  would  beat  and  abuse  me,  and  pray  to 
God  to  forgive  her ;  and  my  horrid,  lonely  childhood 
is  one  of  the  chief  causes  of  my  hating  the  shams  and 
pretences  of  religion.  I  had  no  one  else  to  turn  to  but 
Deacon  Sutherland,  who  was  ever  kind  and  gentle  to 
me ;  and  as  the  years  went  on,  I  grew  to  look  upon 
him  as  the  one  who  knew  what  was  right  or  wrong 
for  me  better  than  any  one  else.  Do  you  ask  where 


JASON  AND  MA  TILDA.  1 85 

my  conscience  was  ?  I  realized  none,  for  the  conscience, 
like  art,  has  to  be  trained  and  developed ;  and  in 
the  higher  animals,  which  we  call  human  beings, 
it  is  slow  to  appear. 

"It  is  the  old  story,  my  dear  woman,  of  a  man  taking 
advantage  of  a  child.  What  I  did,  I  did  with  no 
idea  of  the  results.  You  call  it  a  sin,  I  call  it 
a  mistake,  for  I  had  no  bad  motive.  When  I 
was  turned  into  the  street  that  cold,  bitter  night  in  Jan 
uary,  it  was  by  a  woman  who  was  supposed  to  have  a 
conscience,  and  a  professed  Christian.  Did  she?  Even 
Deacon  Sutherland  was  not  wholly  hardened,  then;  he 
came  after  me  and  would  have  taken  me  back  into  his 
home,  but  I  would  not  go,  but  he  had  that  influence 
over  me,  that  I  took  the  money  and  letter  and  went  to 
the  city  as  he  directed  me,  and  it  was  not  until  I  was  in 
a  hospital,  sick  unto  death  that  I  realized  my  condition, 
and  my  relationship  to  him,  and  to  the  world.  It  was 
a  fearful  awakening  for  a  child  scarcely  fifteen;  but  it 
was  impressed  upon  my  mind  by  a  Catholic  nurse,  who 
thought  I  was  going  to  die,  and  wished  me  to  confess 
to  the  priest.  My  child  died,  and  I  lay  as  one  dead, 
and  was  even  pronounced  so  by  the  attending  physician, 
and  it  was  then  that  the  letter  was  written  to  Deacon 
Sutherland,  and  I  give  him  the  credit  of  thinking  I  was 
dead. 

"  I  look  back  to  those  hours  of  unconsciousness, 
and  I  believe  I  must  have  been  in  a  trance ;  for  when  I 
came  to  myself  I  was  as  old  in  thought  as  I  am]to-day.  I 
had  from  that  moment  the  divine  gift  of  inspiration,  and 
as  I  was  slowly  recovering,  I  attracted  the  attention  of 


1 86  JASON  AND  MA  TILDA, 

a  woman  who  took  delight  in  visiting  the  sick  to  add  to 
their  comforts.  Day  after  day  she  came  to  my  cot,  and 
learned  the  story  of  my  life;  she  listened  to  my  songs  and 
wondered  at  my  poetry,  and  finally  adopted  and 
educated  me  as  her  own  child. 

"Dear  Mother  Williard!  Why  are  there  not  more 
women  like  you?"  and  the  tears  streamed  down  her 
face.  "In  her  life,  she  gave  me  her  love,  and  at  her  death 
she  left  me  her  fortune,  with  the  injunction  that  I  should 
help  humanity.  I  have  never  turned  from  my  path  of 
duty,  helping  all  upward  to  a  higher  life.  I  feel  I  have 
expiated  my  part  of  the  wrong,  even  if  done  in  ignor 
ance,  by  keeping  many  a  young  girl  from  ruin.  I  do- 
not  know  why  I  came  back  to  this  place  ;  it  was  fate, 
some  would  say,  but  I  believe  there  are  higher  laws  that 
work  for  our  good  and  others'  that  we  do  not  under 
stand.  Now,  my  good  woman,  if  this  was  the  story  of 
your  own  child,  and  she  was  situated  as  I  was,  what 
would  you  want  some  woman  like  yourself  to  say  to 
her?" 

The  sunlight  was  fast  fading  in  the  Hazleton  parlor, 
and  the  old  clock  in  the  hall  ticked,  ticked  with  the 
beating  of  this  woman's  heart  that  knelt  there  in- 
humility  and  sorrow.  Ah,  Matilda  Hazleton  !  Can 
you  put  down  the  long  years  of  prejudice,  which  is  a 
part  of  yourself?  Can  you  forget  the  one  unpardonable 
sin  that  your  mind  has  clung  to  for  these  long,  long 
years  ?  Remember,  sin  is  sin,  and  not  to  be  forgiven  in 
a  woman,  no  matter  if  this  woman  is  good  and  great 
now.  You  know  what  she  has  been — can  you  forgive 
her? 


JASON  AND  MATILDA.  187 

The  deep,  grey  eyes  of  Matilda  Hazleton  looked 
upon  the  kneeling  form  ;  tick,  tick,  sounded  the  old 
clock  in  the  hall  in  unison  with  the  beating  of  their 
hearts.  Was  it  a  trick  of  the  imagination,  or  fancy,  that 
Matilda  heard  the  same  little  voice  of  her  angel  child  : 
"Mama!  mama!  Here  I  am  on  the  stairs!"  Then 
there  flashed  through  her  mind  the  thought,  "  What  if 
this  child  had  lived  and  been  left  unprotected  and  alone 
like  Nellie  Blake  !"  She  would  want  some  woman  like 
herself  to  decide  what  would  be  right  for  the  highest 
good  of  her  loved  one.  She  must  decide,  and  decide 
quickly,  but  it  was  not  such  an  easy  matter  for  her  to 
do. 

"  If  you  were  my  own,  and  were  kneeling  to  some 
other  heart  than  mine,  I  should  want  that  woman  to 
say — "  And  there  was  a  long  pause.  "  I  should  want 
that  woman  to  say — " 

"  Mama  !   come  quick  !  here  I  am    on    the  stairs  ! " 

"Arise!  neither  do  I  condemn  thee " — and  these 
words  lifted  the  soul  of  Matilda  Hazleton  nearer  to  the 

gates  of  Paradise  than  it  had  ever  been  lifted  before. 

*  * 
* 

It  was  to  be  the  last  lecture  by  Miss  Willard,  that 
Sunday  evening  after  the  interview  with  Matilda.  The 
hall  was  crowded,  for  young  and  old  came  in  from 
adjoining  towns.  Miss  Willard  was  to  leave  for  New 
York  the  next  morning,  and  as  she  stood  before  that 
large  audience,  and  saw  so  many  bright  and  interesting 
faces  of  both  sexes,  she  thought  to  herself,  "  It  is  these 
same  young  people  that  go  to  our  large  cities,  and  it  is 
to  these  that  I  will  speak  to-night."  Her  subject  was 


1 88    •  JASON  AND  MATILDA. 

the  words  used  by  Matilda — "  Arise  !  neither  do  I  con 
demn  thee !  " 

What  a  plea  it  was  for  all  womankind,  and  what  a 
concise  argument,  that  sin  was  sin,  regardless  of  sex  ; 
that  a  mistake  in  a  man  should  not  be  over-looked 
any  more  than  a  mistake  in  a  woman  ;  and  no  man  in 
that  audience  went  away  with  the  idea  that  he  could 
be  faultless  and  his  companion  guilty. 

There  was  one  man  who  came  in  with  a  slouched  hat 
and  muffled  throat,  who  escaped  the  notice  of  many,  but 
not  of  Lemuel  Hackett,  who  had  attended  the  Liberal 
Club  meetings  quite  regularly.  He  said  to  one  of  his 
neighbors  that  he  had  prayed  too  frequently  and  com 
muned  too  often  not  to  know  Deacon  Sutherland.  If 
Lem  had  observed  more  closely  he  would  have  seen  a 
hard,  determined  look  upon  the  face  of  that  man  as  he 
walked  rapidly  downstairs  after  the  close  of  the  lecture. 

Deacon  Sutherland  had  retrograded  since  that  cold 
winter  night  when  Nellie  Blake  had  been  forced  from 
his  home.  His  wife  had  not  been  more  yielding  in 
temper  since  that  event,  and  she  died  with  all  the  old 
bitterness  in  her  heart,  that  her  creed  would  naturally 
engender.  All  conscientious  scruples  he  killed  out  of 
his  mind  ;  his  god  was  money ;  he  used  the  church  as 
the  means  to  the  end  of  obtaining  it,  by  having  a  hold 
upon  the  people;  so  any  words  that  he  may  have  heard 
uttered  at  the  lecture  had  no  effect  upon  a  heart  like  his. 

Much  of  the  sunshine  seemed  to  go  out  of  the  Hazleton 
home  when  the  sweet  voice  of  Ellen  Willard  was  no 
longer  heard.  Jason  had  declared  his  love  and  had 
received  only  one  word — "Wait!"  The  sympathetic 


JASON  AND  MA  TILDA.  189 

tie  between  Matilda  and  Jason  soon  made  her  realize 
how  unhappy  he  was.  She  surmised  that  he  had 
been  refused  by  the  object  of  his  affections,  the  cause 
of  which  to  him  was  unknown.  So,  womanlike,  she 
thought  if  she  could  divert  his  mind  from  Ellen  Wil- 
lard,  that  she  would  be  doing  him  a  lasting  favor.  So 
she  undertook  a  task  that  many  a  person  before  and 
since  have  tried,  and  ninety-nine  out  of  every  hundred 
have  made  of  it  a  total  failure. 

"Jason,"  said  Matilda,  as  she  stood  behind  him  one 
evening,  "  don't  you  believe  in  equal  marriages?" 

"What  do  you  mean?"  asked  he. 

"  Why,  that  their  conditions  in  life  should  be  similar. 
Now,  for  instance,  if  a  woman  was  six  or  seven  years 
older  than  you,  would  you  marry  her?" 

"  Why,  of  course  !  If  I  loved  her  that  would  have 
no  weight.  Why  should  it,  if  it  was  love?" 

"  Well,  Jason,  if  a  woman  was  richer  than  a  man, 
wouldn't  that  make  a  difference,  and  make  him  feel 
uncomfortable?  " 

"  No,  Matilda  !  "  and  a  sharp  pang  shot  through  his 
heart,  as  he  remembered  that  he  was  poor  and  Ellen 
Willard  rich.  "  It  would,  indeed,  be  a  misfortune  ;  but  I 
will  repeat,  that  if  it  is  love,  I  don't  see  as  it  will  make 
any  difference  who  holds  the  pocket-book."  But  he  saw 
that  Matilda  was  beating  about  the  bush,  and  not  open 
ing  her  mind  freely  to  him.  "  What  is  it  you  wish  to 
say  ?  Do  you  think  Miss  Willard  does  not  love  me, 
and  are  trying  to  prepare  my  mind  for  it?" 

"  No,  it  is  not  that,  Jason,  that  worries  me  ;  but  you 
are  a  man  with  all  a  man's  prejudices.  Can't  you  think 


190  JASON  AND  MA  TILDA. 

of  anything  that  could  occur  in  a  woman's  life  that  you 
can't  forgive?" 

"Anything!  Why,  what  do  you  mean,  Matilda?" 

"  Any  sin,  Jason  !" 

"  I  can  conceive  of  no  sin  that  I  could  not  forgive,  if 
a  person  had  repented  and  risen  above  it.  I  might  feel 
differently  about  a  crime — like  murder — for  it  always 
seemed  to  me  that  this  life  was  too  short  to  repent  of 
anything  so  dreadful  as  that." 

"  Oh,  Jason,  you  don't  realize  what  you  are  talking 
about.  The  woman  that  you  love,  committed  at  one 
period  of  her  life,  the  greatest  sin  that  a  woman  can 
commit  against  herself  and  society." 

Jason  staggered  back  as  if  shot.  "  I  understand  you, 
Matilda,  but  do  you  know  the  partner  of  this  sin?" 

".Yes !  You  were  ill,  and  do  not  remember  Nellie 
Blake ;  but  she  and  Ellen  Willard  are  one  and  the 
same,  and  the  man  was  Deacon  Sutherland  !  Now,  do 
you  not  see,  Jason,  a  wide  difference  between  your  life 
and  hers?" 

Tick,  tick,  sounded  the  old  clock,  as  it  did  a  few 
evenings  previous.  This  idealist,  who  had  lived  in  a 
realm  of  fancy,  why  could  he  not  die  then  and  there  ? 
But  no,  the  heart,  like  the  clock,  beat  on.  "Matilda," 
he  said  in  a  low  tone,  "  you  will  never  know  what  I 
suffer  at  this  moment ;  but  tell  me,  did  you  forgive  the 
man?  Did  you  see  for  him  hope  and  redemption? 
You  prayed  and  communed  with  him  in  church  ;  did 
you  forgive  him  ?  " 

"Yes,  Jason,  because  it  was  my  Christian  duty  to 
do  so." 


JASON  AND  MATILDA.  191 

"Do  you  think  I  am  less  a  Christian  than  you, 
Matilda?" 

"  No,  Jason,  you  are  the  purest  heart  in  all  the 
world." 

"  Then  remember  this — while  Ellen  Willard  may 
never  marry  me  (she,  doubtless,  having  no  confidence 
.in  me),  I  love  her  well  enough  to  forgive  and  forget  all. 
I  shall  never  tear  her  down  from  the  high  pinnacle  of 
regard  where  I  have  placed  her,  because  her  life,  like 
the  lily,  commenced  in  the  mud.  Love,  to  be  love, 
must  be  great  enough  to  love  for  its  own  sake,  and  not 

from  the  selfishness  of  the  human  heart." 

*  * 
* 

Mr.  Moore  seemed  to  realize  that  Jason  Reynolds 
was  a  changed  man  ;  he  tried  in  various  ways  to  call 
him  out ;  but,  no,  Jason  was  one  of  those  persons  who 
cannot  share  with  another  any  part  of  his  sorrow.  He 
was  over  generous  in  wishing  others  to  mingle  with  his 
joys,  but  his  sorrows  were  sacred  ;  neither  could  he  ask 
of  another  favors  to  advance  his  own  life  ;  he  was  not 
proud,  but  retiring  and  diffident ;  and  it  is  just  such 
natures  as  these,  if  they  can  come  in  contact  with  the 
right  people,  have  offered  to  them  what  others  seek  in 
in  vain  for  ;  but  the  point  should  always  be  to  come  in 
contact  with  those  deep  enough  to  see  good  moral 
worth,  and  broad  enough  to  take  in  the  situation  that 
such  a  person  cannot  use  the  sledge-hammer  of  bluff 
and  cheek  to  knock  their  way  through  the  world. 

As  the  time  drew  near  for  the  Moores  to  return  to 
their  city  home,  Mr.  Moore  would  find  himself  repeat 
edly  in  a  brown  study  trying  to  solve  the  problem,  how 


192  JASON  AND  MATILDA. 

he  could  approach  this  delicate  and  sensitive  nature, 
without  making  him  feel  ill  at  ease  and  unhappy.  He 
was  sitting  one  day  on  a  rustic  seat  under  the  apple- 
tree  near  the  house,  when  Jason  with  brush  and  palette 
was  trying  to  reproduce  the  lovely  tints  of  the  sky,  as 
the  fleecy  clouds  seemed  to  kiss  the  high  green  hills, 
and  shadows  cast  their  reflection  in  the  water  in  the 
valley  below. 

"  Jason,"  said  Mr.  Moore,  "let  me  see  that  picture  !  " 

He  held  up  the  unfinished  sketch,  before  the  keen, 
critical  eye  of  this  New  York  financier. 

"  Ah  !  There  is  outline  for  you,  and  clearly  defined 
too,  and  when  finished  it  will  be  a  masterpiece.  Do  you 
know,  you  are  a  genius  ;  I  should  know  that  scene  if  I 
saw  the  painting  in  China." 

Jason  modestly  bowed  at  the  compliment,  and  Mr. 
Moore  continued  :  "  But  I  am  not  one  of  those  people 
who  tell  persons  they  are  a  genius,  and  then  let  them 
go  and  die  in  an  attic.  No !  I  know  the  temperament 
that  belongs  to  a  genius,  and  I  never  saw  one  who  could 
push  themselves  along  in  the  world,  any  more  than  a 
train  of  cars  could,  without  any  engine ;  and  I  have  been 
writing  your  brother  Washington,  and  he  and  I  have 
concluded  we  can  give  you  writing  enough  in  our  two 
offices,  to  pay  all  your  expenses  and  still  give  you  time 
enough  to  study  art  in  New  York  for  three  years,  and 
then  it's  my  opinion  you  can  go  it  alone.  What  say 
you,  Jason?  " 

He  could  only  grasp  his  hand,  saying  :  "You  have 
anticipated  my  dearest  wish.  I  would  gladly  go  to-mor 
row,  as  I  know  I  cannot  help  Matilda  on  the  farm  ;  but 


JASON  AND  MATILDA.  193 

the  time   may  come  when  I  can  sell  a  picture  to  aid 
her." 

"  There  you  are  again,  thinking  too  much  of  others 
and  too  little  of  yourself;  but  New  York  will  make  you 
selfish  enough." 

"  Well,  if  it  should,  Mr.  Moore,  I  would  no  longer  be 
an  artist,  for  a  narrow  mind  and  a  selfish  heart,  don't  go 
hand  in  hand  with  an  artistic  life;  one  law  would  kill  the 
other,  for  art  plays  on  the  finer  strings  of  the  harp  of 
life,  and  it  would  be  no  question  in  my  mind  which 
would  snap  first,  if  a  person  was  foolish  enough  to  play 
both  tunes  at  the  same  time — one  for  art,  the  other  for 
self." 

But  George  Hazelton  did  not  have  the  same  good 
luck  with  Mr.  Moore,  when  he  boldly  asked  him  to  get 
him  a  position  in  New  York.  He  was  in  hopes  to  some 
day  call  this  man  father-in-law,  but  that  did  not  make 
him  timid,  but  all  the  more  bold.  Mr.  Moore  took  off  his 
eye  glasses  and  rubbed  them  carefully,  adjusted  them  on 
his  nose,  and  then  took  in  the  height  of  this  young  aspir 
ant  for  city  honors. 

"Why,  young  man,  you  astonish  me!  Get  you  a 
situation  until  I  see  more  genuine  stuff  in  you  than  I 
have?  Why,  you  lusty  young  fellow,  use  your  head 
and  hands  a  little  here,  to  help  that  dear  mother  of  yours 
pay  off  the  mortgage  on  this  farm,  that  she  has  been 
talking  to  me  about.  When  that  is  paid,  and  you  have 
helped  to  do  it,  come  to  my  office  and  I  can  find  plenty 
for  you  to  do." 

George  was  a  little  crestfallen,  but  was  determined 
not  to  give  it  up.  He  said  :  "  One  could  not  make  a 


194  JASON  AND  MA  TILDA. 

cent  on  an  old  New  England  farm  and  compete  with 
the  West." 

"  Nonsense,  boy !  You've  heard  that  argument  from 
people  who  are  too  shiftless  to  work,  and  too  lazy  to  die. 
These  farms  once  supported  large  families  of  boys  and 
girls,  and  the  land  is  not  exhausted  yet,  but  it  won't  run 
itself.  Where  there  is  a  will,  there  is  always  a  way. 
This  generation  wants  to  go  to  the  front  without  fighting 
one  battle." 

There  is  no  class  of  men  so  hard  to  appeal  to  as  self- 
made  men.  They  are  apt  to  say,  "  I  succeeded  with 
out  money,  and  why  can't  you  ?  You  can,  if  you  will 
try!"  Such  men  entirely  forget  that  with  each  fifty 
years  adds  greater  responsibilities  to  life,  and  far  less 
energy  in  people  to  meet  coming  events.  George  saw 
there  was  no  other  way  than  to  bend  to  the  emergency 
of  the  case,  and  try  !  So  he  went  at  once  to  his  mother, 
and  talked  it  over,  and  said  :  "  When  you  go  to  see 
James  Brown  about  the  transfer  of  the  mortgage,  I  want 
to  go  with  you  and  get  some  good  plan  to  be  at  work 
upon." 

"  Infidel  "  Brown  was  only  too  glad  to  help  a  Chris 
tian  who  had  to  turn  to  him  from  the  dishonesty  of  a 
brother  church  member  ;  for  one  of  the  peculiarities  of 
a  materialist  is  the  manner  they  have  of  probing  a  sore 
when  they  think  it  is  morally  needed.  Matilda  got  some 
plain  truths  told  her,  and  some  glaring  errors  shown  up 
in  Deacon  Sutherland's  accounts.  "  Now,  Mrs.  Hazel- 
ton,"  said  Mr.  Brown,  "don't  you  trust  too  much  to 
Providence  and  city  boarders.  Keep  more  than  one 
iron  in  the  fire,  and  let  this  young  man's  zeal  here  keep 


JASON  AND  MA  TILDA.  195 

it  hot.  Now,  of  course,  your  boarders  may  come  again, 
and  they  may  not ;  but  commence  this  Fall  to  get  up 
your  wood,  and  join  with  Lem  Hackett,  who  has  good 
oxen,  and  make  sugar  in  the  spring,  as  you  used  to  do. 
Your  city  friends  will  find  a  market  for  all  you'll  make  ; 
and,  instead  of  giving  away  to  old  scoundrels  like  Dea 
con  Sutherland  and  myself,  keep  your  young  stock,  and 
sell  it  when  you  can,  and  make  the  profits  yourself. 
I'll  stock  you  with  hens,  and  agree  to  take  all  of  your 
eggs,  and  that  will  buy  more  than  one  gown  for  your 
Mary,  as  it  does  for  my  girls. 

"  Now,  young  man,  don't  think  because  this  is  a  small 
way  to  do  business,  that  there's  nothing  in  it.  Remember, 
it  is  easier  to  get  over  hills  than  it  is  to  climb  a  moun 
tain,  especially  when  you've  got  to  walk  yourself,  and 
I'm  sure  that  if  you  follow  these  plans,  I  shall  have  my 
payment  and  interest  without  putting  you  about  any." 

Matilda  and  George  went  home  with  lighter  hearts 
than  they  had  had  for  many  a  day.  How  dependant 
humanity  is  for  some  strong  hand  to  draw  away  the 
curtain  of  doubt,  that  they  may  look  at  the  light 
beyond. 


*  * 

* 


If  our  readers  will  please  step  into  that  airship  of  the 
mind,  which  we  are  to  have  in  the  future  in  reality,  and 
fly  over  three  years,  they  will  find  a  few  changes  in  the 
town  of  Waybridge,  if  not  in  our  characters. 

Some  New  England  towns  seem  dead  and  buried. 
It  would  take  a  cyclone  of  events  to  resurrect  them  to 
life,  even  for  a  few  hours  ;  but  there  is  no  rule  but  what 
there  is  an  exception,  and  this  town  seemed  to  prove  the 


196  JASON  AND  MA  TILDA. 

exception.  When  one  person  has  made  a  small  success 
in  life — in  a  business  way — it  is  quite  enough  to  find 
many  imitators,  who  usually  go  to  work  with  entirely 
different  methods,  and,  consequently,  make  a  decided 
failure.  Matilda  had  lifted  the  mortgage  from  the  old 
Hazelton  farm,  which  had  rested  over  it  like  a  hawk, 
ready  to  pounce  down  upon  its  victim  at  the  first  occa 
sion.  Others  had  followed  her  example,  and  as  all 
efforts  make  changes,  Waybridge  had  grown  to  be  quite 
a  flourishing  town. 

When  Matilda  had  the  house  repaired,  it  was  repainted 
— not  in  the  old-fashioned  colors  of  white,  with  green 
blinds,  but  in  brighter  colors  ;  and  the  grounds  were  no 
longer  neglected  for  want  of  a  little  care,  and  filled  up 
with  wood  and  rubbish,  but  were  blooming  with  trees 
and  flowers.  "Ideal,"  an  artist  would  say.  "Perfectly 
foolish,"  the  old-fashioned  farmer  declared.  Matilda, 
with  the  help  of  her  son,  George,  had  made  money 
from  the  three  sources  of  income — eggs,  sugar  and 
boarders ;  and  when  the  Green  Mountain  boy  pre 
sented  himself  at  Mr.  Moore's  office,  looking  quite 
smart  in  his  new  store  suit,  he  was  readily  placed,  and 
there  was  a  merry  twinkle  in  the  old  man's  eye,  as 
George  recounted  in  detail  how  he  had  helped  his 
mother  succeed,  although  Mr.  Moore  had  noted  during 
the  summers  how  the  young  man  progressed. 

"Every  day  that  you  worked  on  that  old  farm,  when 
you  did  not  want  to  do  it,  my  boy,  will  be  worth  thou 
sands  of  dollars  to  you  in  the  future,  for  the  success  of 
life  is  doing  what  we  might  not  naturally  like  to  do." 

And,  strange  to  say,  Jason  Reynolds  succeeded,  in  an 


JASON  AND  MATILDA.  197 

artistic  sense,  and  he  and  Ellen  Willard  were  married, 
and  were  working  together  earnestly  for  art  and  human 
ity.  Every  picture  that  Jason  made,  there  must  be  a 
copy  of  it  sent  to  Matilda  ;  and  every  book  that  Ellen 
read,  found  its  way  to  the  old  farmhouse.  "  Why, 
bless  her  heart,  was  she  not  the  grandest  woman  in  the 
world,"  they  both  would  say.  It  was  with  difficulty 
that  Jason  impressed  upon  Ellen's  mind  that  she  should 
never  be  made  to  feel  uncomfortable  about  the  past. 
"Why,"  said  he,  "if  men  thought  they  were  to  be 
made  to  suffer  for  their  past  mistakes  there  would  be 
but  few  brides  in  New  York." 

Mens  past  mistakes  are  always  labelled  "  Wild  oats;  " 
the  paper  containing  the  seed  is  supposed  to  be  sealed 
forever,  not  to  be  opened  for  planting,  as  they  would  not 
bring  forth  good  crops  ;  but,  alas  !  too  many  men  are 
fond  of  farming,  and  keep  right  on  regardless  of  wife, 
home  and  family. 


*  * 

* 


The  only  excitement  in  the  intellectual  field  worth 
recounting,  in  Waybridge,  was  the  great  church  trial, 
which  succeeded  in  breaking  up  the  Methodist  Church 
entirely.  Matilda  Hazelton  was  tried  on  the  charge 
that  she  was  the  means  of  starting  an  opposition  society, 
called  the  "  Liberal  Club  ";  that  she  had  "  harbored  in  her 
house,  infidels,  and  people  of  bad  repute,"  but  the  last 
clause  was  a  hard  one  to  prove,  as  Lemuel  Hackett  was 
bound  to  have  proof,  and  no  one  seem  willing  to 
acknowledge  being  the  author  of  the  accusation  (although 
Matilda  suspected  it  was  Deacon  Sutherland).  How 
ever,  it  was  not  discussed. 


198  JASON  AND  MA  TILDA. 

Ministers  from  all  the  adjoining  towns  attended 
that  church  trial ;  they  went  over  Matilda's  life,  from 
childhood  up,  and  found  no  flaw ;  she  was  a  hard 
working,  charitable,  and  sincere  Christian,  and  Lem 
uel  Hackett  asked  the  question,  "  How  was  she 
accountable  for  the  religious  belief  of  the  Moore 
family,  and  how  could  she  be  blamed  when  she  did 
not  know  what  their  religion  was  before  they  came 
there?"  The  old  elders  and  doctors  of  divinity  could 
not  answer  this  question  of  Lemuel's,  and  so  they 
fell  back  upon  that  "old  scapegoat,"  the  devil.  He 
tempted  Matilda  and  Jason  by  first  putting  the  idea  into 
their  heads  (he,  Jason  would  have  also  been  tried  had 
he  been  there)  to  write  that  they  wanted  city  boarders  ; 
others  lived  in  Waybridge  and  had  never  taken  the 
wicked  people  from  New  York  to  board.  When  Matilda 
said  to  them,  "  How  could  I  save  the  farm  ?  "  "  Why," 
said  those  divine  gentlemen,  "you  could  have  lost  your 
farm,  and  gone  to  the  poor-house;  you  much  better  have 
done  that,  than  prove  an  enemy  to  Christ."  It  was 
such  poor  logic,  that  even  some  of  the  church  members 
rebelled;  they  could  not  see  the  point — how  Matilda's 
taking  boarders  could  injure  the  cause  of  Jesus  of 
Nazareth;  so  Lemuel  Hackett  and  several  others  with 
drew  from  the  church. 

The  Reverend  Minot  Robinson  found  he  could  not 
exist  without  money,  any  more  than  other  men,  so  he 
left  his  wife  and  children  in  Waybridge  and  went 
with  some  revivalists,  and  soon  after,  Albina  Bennett 
disappeared,  and  the  rumor  was  circulated  that  she  was 
gone  away  with  her  beloved  pastor.  As  time  went  on, 


JASON  AND  MATILDA.  199 

and  Mrs.  Robinson  did  not  hear  from  her  husband,  she 
sickened  and  died  with  the  quick  consumption,  as  they 
call  every  disease  they  do  not  understand  in  Vermont ; 
and  the  two  little  ones  were  taken  into  the  custody  of 
the  Liberal  Club  to  be  supported  and  educated. 

In  the  two  years  which  followed  the  above  events, 
those  who  were  connected  by  the  bonds  of  love  and 
blood  to  the  inmates  of  the  Hazelton  farm,  had  their 
experiences  in  this  busy  world  as  well  as  those  in  Way- 
bridge. 

Many  times  in  our  sorest  need,  and  in  our  hardest 
struggles,  we  sometimes  think  that  we  are  alone ;  that 
no  one  else  connected  with  our  lives  can  be  so  badly 
pressed,  but  this  is  quite  false  to  all  of  nature's  laws. 
She  shows  no  partiality;  the  just  and  the  unjust  share 
alike  her  sunshine  and  her  rain,  only  some  are  more 
protected  from  the  storms  and  the  heat  of  life,  by  the 
umbrella  of  prosperous  circumstances;  but  many  times 
the  soul  of  mankind,  which  is  the  gem  of  life,  has  to 
struggle  on  unaided,  be  its  setting  brass,  copper  or 
gold. 

John  Reynolds  failed  in  his  business ;  and  as  his 
friends  had  all  been  superficial  ones,  they  dropped  off 
from  his  life,  like  the  leaves  in  autumn  ;  his  wife, 
always  vain  and  heartless,  pinned  her  faith  upon  one  of 
the  junior  members  of  the  firm,  who  had  been  more 
dishonest  than  the  others,  and  had  put  by  a  sum  of 
money  ;  and  for  this  man  she  left  her  husband  in  his 
great  financial  distress,  which  so  wore  upon  him  that  he 
became  a  bankrupt  mentally  and  physically.  One  day, 
poor,  sick  and  worn  out,  he  came  into  his  brother 


200  JASON  AND  MA  TILDA. 

Washington's  office  for  more  assistance ;  no  matter  how 
foolishly  he  spent  the  money,  he  never  refused  him. 
This  day  he  seemed  more  haggard  and  ill  than  usual, 
and  asked :  "  What  shall  I  do,  Washington,  and  how 
can  I  ever  regain  my  health  and  spirits  in  this  accursed 
place?" 

The  mellow  rays  of  the  sun  lit  up  the  benign  face  of 
Washington  Reynolds  with  a  glory  divine ;  and  looking 
at  the  crestfallen  man,  he  could  not  keep  the  tears  from 
his  eyes  as  he  said,  in  a  low  voice:  "John,  go  to 
Matilda  ;  go  to  the  green  hills  of  Vermont ;  go  back  ta 
home  and  earlier  associations,  and  get  the  right  kind  of 
advice  and  stimulus  to  battle  this  life  of  ours  with." 

"No,  no!  Wash,  I  can't  do  that;  it  was  you,  not  I, 
who  helped  Matilda  in  her  need  years  ago — and  I 
should  find  no  welcome  there." 

"  Yes,  you  would,  John.  Matilda  may  be  like  some 
of  the  less  beautiful  flowers  of  earth,  but  she  has  the 
sweet  fragrance  of  soul,  which  is  greater  than  anything 
else,  as  it  enables  her  to  have  a  large  heart  and  a  broad 
mind  ;  and  she  will  take  in  the  situation,  that  you  need 
both  rest  and  love,  and  she  will  give  them  to  you,  frei  y." 

So  one  warm  spring  day  Matilda  saw  a  feeble,  prema 
turely  old  man  walking  up  the  hill  ;  by  that  subtle  law 
of  sympathy  she  was  drawn,  half  unconsciously,  to  the 
door,  and  before  her  stood  her  brother  John,  the  same 
boy  she  had  loved  in  her  childhood — no  matter  how 
changed — the  same  to  her  now  and  forever.  For  once 
in  his  life  he  felt  the  keen  thrill  of  gratitude  to  the  all- 
prevailing  spirit  of  love,  that  here  on  the  green  hills  of 
Vermont  he  found  one  heart  loyal  and  true.  Matilda 


JASON  AND  MA  TILDA.  201 

told  him  he  could  stay  just  as  long  as  he  wanted  to ;  for 
when  she  had  sent  back  the  money  she  had  borrowed 
of  Washington  years  ago,  he  had  returned  the  same, 
.and  double  the  amount,  and  sent  with  it  the  words  : 
"Keep  it,  so  if  sickness  should  come,  you  will  never 
again  have  to  mortgage  the  old  place." 

Who  will  say  but  what  "  it  is  more  blessed  to  give  than 
to  receive"  and  that  rewards  and  punishments  are  not 
always  delayed  for  a  future  existence,  but  here  and 
now  we  many  times  receive  both. 

Deacon  Sutherland's  health  had  failed  rapidly  in  the 
last  year ;  he  was  bent  and  white-haired,  moody  and 
silent.  One  night,  a  storm  was  raging  in  all  its  fury  in 
Waybridge  ;  nature  seemed  to  be  repellant,  like  many 
of  her  children,  to  the  ways  of  light  and  peace.  That 
night  the  deacon  was  stricken  down  suddenly,  and  as 
he  lay  upon  his  bed  racked  with  pain,  he  called  one  of 
his  men  to  his  bedside.  '''Tom,"  said  he,  "I  want  you 
to  ride  over  to  the  Hazelton  farm  and  bring  Matilda 
back  with  you." 

"  It's  a  dreadful  night,  Deacon,  and  she  may  not  want 
to  come." 

"  Tell  her  it's  a  case  of  life  and  death,  and  it  con 
cerns  herself  and  others  as  well  as  me." 

Not  long  after  Matilda's  tall  form  stood  by  the  bed 
side  of  the  terror-stricken  man.  Some  think  that  sin 
ners  are  only  frightened  when  they  are  to  die  on  the 
gallows  or  rack,  but  when  one  knows  they  must  die, 
unless  their  souls  are  fitted  for  the  change,  the  place 
where  they  give  up  life  makes  no  difference  to  them. 
Death  is  death  to  them,  and  it  is  always  the  condition 


202  JASON  AND  MATILDA. 

of  the  mind,  and  not  the  spot  they  occupy,  that  brings 
to  them  the  terror. 

"What    can    I  do   for    you,  Deacon    Sutherland?" 
asked  Matilda. 

"  You  can  help  me  repair  a  great  wrong  that  I  have 
done,  and  restore  to  one  what  belongs  to  her  !  "  and  in 
broken  words  he  told  Matilda  that  he  had  received 
money  from  time  to  time  from  Nellie  Blake's  father, 
who  is  now  living  in  California,  and  now  wanted  his 
child  once  more.  "  I  want  you  should  give  these  let 
ters  and  money  to  her,"  and  he  handed  her  a  large 
package.  "And  now,  Matilda,  I  have  known  you  for 
many  long  years,  and  I  know  you  are  just  and  noble  ; 
but  your  life  is  limited  to  this  location,  and  while  I  have 
never  done  any  good  with  my  money,  I  want  to  leave 
it  to  some  one  who  is  out  in  the  world,  who  I  know 
will  make  good  use  of  it  in  helping  others  ;  and  of  all 
the  people  I  know,  there  is  no  one  who  would  be  more 
faithful  to  the  trust  than  your  brother  Jason,  and  I  have 
willed  my  property  to  him.  I  know  he  is  a  man  who 
can  rise  above  the  prejudices  of  old  ideas,  for  he  has 
proved  that  by  his  marriage.  He  worshipped  the  God 
of  love  in  his  boyhood,  and  it  has  made  a  noble  man  of 
him  in  his  middle  life.  I  worshipped  at  the  shrine  of 
gold,  and  how  at  the  last  moment  what  does  it  amount 
to  ! — nothing — only  the  consciousness  that  after  my 
death  this  good  man  may  make  some  good  use  of  the 
money  I  accumulated.  If  I  had  only  known,  if  I  could 
only  have  seen  the  truth,  that,  as  we  sow,  we  shall  reap 
in  this  life,  and  as  we  think,  so  we  are  at  death ;  and  of 
the  future,  to  me,  it  is  nothing." 


JASON  AND  MA  TILDA.  203 

These  were  the  last  words  of  Deacon  Sutherland,  as 
the  curtain  of  death  fell  over  his  life  and  shut  him  out 
from  nothing  into  the  great  something — the  Hereafter. 


*  * 
* 


George  Hazelton  steadily  improved  in  New  York,  and 
unlike  most  country-raised  lads,  did  not  imagine  that  he 
owned  the  city.  When  the  engagement  of  George 
Hazelton  and  Minnie  Moore  was  announced,  many  sar 
castic  remarks  were  made  in  regard  to  Andrew  Moore's 
judgment  for  his  daughter's  future.  Men  who  had 
insipid  sons  to  dispose  of,  would  make  it  a  point  to  say 
something  unpleasant  before  Mr.  Moore,  if  they  chanced 
to  meet  him  in  social  circles  ;  but  the  old  merry  twinkle 
would  come  into  his  eyes,  as  he  would  say  :  "  No  dudes 
for  me.  I  am  only  too  glad  to  give  my  daughter's  life 
into  the  care  of  a  man  who  has  backbone  enough  to 
help  his  mother  clear  a  mortgage  off  an  old  Vermont 
farm,  which,  at  that  time,  was  almost  an  impossibility. 
If  my  fortune  should  take  wings  and  fly  away,  as  I  see 
daily  that  some  of  those  of  my  friends  and  colleagues 
are  doing,  this  Green  Mountain*  boy  will  shake  himself 
free  from  his  surroundings,  and  stand  on  his  feet  and 
commence  life  over  again,  while  half  of  the  city  boys, 
especially  sons  of  wealthy  men,  when  the  reverses  of 
life  meets  them,  resort  to  gambling,  and,  if  that  fails 
them  (which  it  always  does)  they  take  to  drink,  won't 
work,  and  so  ruin  their  families."  Matilda  had  two 
cottages  built  near  the  main  building  of  the  Hazelton 
place.  She  had  that  long  head  which  saw  into  the 
future  farther  than  a  day.  "These  cottages  are  for 
Jason  and  Ellen  and  George  and  his  wife,"  she  told  the 


204  JASON  AND  MA  TILDA. 

neighbors.  "They  will  want  to  come  from  the  city  in 
the  summer  for  rest  and  change,  and  Rufus  and  I  are 
getting  along  in  years,  and  need  a  rest  also.  I  do  not 
think  old  people  are  called  upon  to  bring  up  two  fami 
lies,  and  George  and  Minnie,  with  their  children,  will  be 
happier  in  their  cottage  than  in  our  home."  This  was 
quite  an  idea  in  Waybridge,  for  the  grandparents  were 
usually  neglected,  or  set  one  side  like  old  furniture  sup 
posed  to  be  useless,  unless  they  helped  take  care  of  the 
grandchildren. 

Mary  said  to  her  mother,  "  Don't  borrow  any  trouble 
about  my  children,  for  I  am  resolved  to  be  an  old  maid, 
for  what  would  a  New  England  home  be  without  one?" 
No  inducement  from  the  relatives  in  New  York  could 
make  her  visit  them.  "  I  must  stay  with  father  and 
mother,"  she  would  say  ;  "  we  can't  all  go  flying  over 
the  world,  or  the  old  nest  called  '  home '  would  soon  fall 
to  pieces.'.'  So,  the  good  and  faithful  girl  proved  a 
solace  and  a  comfort  to  the  feeble  steps  of  those  who 
had  stayed  and  strengthened  hers  in  childhood. 

The  town  of  Waybridge  was  thrown  into  excitement 
a  few  years  after  the  disappearance  of  Rev.  Minot  Rob 
inson,  by  the  return  of  Albina  Bennett  The  town  was 
growing  to  be  a  popular  summer  resort ;  it  supported 
several  lodges,  and  had  the  largest  Liberal  Club,  and  the 
best  circulating  library  in  the  State.  Albina  could  not 
have  fallen  into  a  wasp's  nest  and  been  less  welcomed. 
They  all  remembered  her  long  tongue  ;  they  had,  many 
of  them,  suffered  from  her  sly  insinuations,  when  she 
was  a  leader  and  prime  mover  of  all  occasions  in  the  M. 
E.  Church.  Many  a  heart  has  been  broken,  many  a 


JASON  AND  MA  TILDA.  205 

reputation  ruined  by  the  malicious  slander  of  the  envi 
ous  and  jealous  ;  such  people  do  not  openly  say  much, 
but  will  put  out  a  word  here  and  there  ;  give  a  signifi 
cant  look,  or  tell  a  cutting  joke,  which  leaves  the  fabric 
of  lies  to  be  woven  out  of  just  such  rotten  stuff  as  these 
human  vampires  spin  and  weave.  It  became  too  warm 
for  Albina,  even  among  her  old  friends,  and  she,  like 
many  another,  turned  to  Matilda.  She  flounced  into 
the  Hazelton  home  one  morning,  and  in  a  high  falsetto 
voice,  retailed  her  woes. 

"  You  say,"  said  Matilda,  "  that  you  have  been  talked 
about,  and  unjustly?" 

"  Well,"  said  Albina,  hesitatingly,  as  the  keen  grey 
eyes  of  Matilda  looked  into  hers,  "  they  can't  prove 
anything  about  me  and  the  Rev.  Mr.  Robinson." 

"  Albina,  you  know  there  are  many  things  in  this 
world,  which  happen,  that  do  not  need  legal  proof  to 
convince  the  people;  some  things  are  found  out  by  intui 
tion,  and  when  once  established  in  the  minds  of  the  com 
munity  all  you  could  say  would  have  no  effect.  You 
ought  to  remember  that  passage  in  the  Bible,  that  all 
good  Christians  '  should  avoid  the  appearance  of  evil.' 
People  here  believe  that  you  went  away  and  lived  with 
your  former  pastor,  and  broke  his  wife's  heart,  and  left 
his  two  little  children  on  the  world  to  receive  charity;  if 
you  both  were  guiltless,  the  effect  was  the  same,  as  you 
did  not  try  to  remedy  the  impression." 

Albina  seemed  to  writhe  under  these  words  of  Matil 
da's.  "  I  won't  live  with  my  relatives,"  said  Albina, 
"  and  what  shall  I  do  ?  This  is  my  home  and  I  am  not 
contented  anywhere  else." 


206  JASON  AND  MA  TILDA. 

"  I  would  take  my  past  experience  as  a  lesson  ;  I 
would  solemnly  resolve  never  to  injure  another  hi  man 
being;  the  world  is  wide  and  this  is  only  one  small 
corner  of  it.  I  would  leave  the  place  as  some  people 
will  have  to  leave  Paradise,  by  losing  their  inheritance 
there;  if  you  had  not  eaten  of  the  forbidden  fruits  of  sin, 
the  serpent  of  events  would  not  have  turned  and  stung 
you  ;  when  you  have  the  right  condition  of  mind  and 
heart  toward  humanity  you  will  find  a  welcome  here  and 
everywhere." 

Albina  shed  a  few  tears,  but  the  next  morning  her 
trunk  and  satchel  were  seen  on  the  stage,  and  Way- 
bridge  and  Albina  were  parted  forever. 

Lemuel  Hackett  had  improved  more  than  any  man  in 
town.  He  said,  it  took  the  hot  water  of  common  sense 
to  take  the  swelling  down  from  his  head  ;  but  when  his 
mind  once  opened  to  the  vastness  of  creation,  and  that 
this  world  of  ours  was  only  one  of  many  equally  as  great 
it  would  be  apt,  he  said,  to  knock  out  old  ideas  from 
anyone's  head  ;  he  said  he  did  not  see  how  one  could 
progress  very  much  unless  they  accepted  the  law  of 
progression  here  and  hereafter ;  this  putting  seed  into 
the  ground,  and  looking  at  it  would  never  raise  a  crop  ; 
and  it  was  so  with  ideas — you  can't  stand  still.  His 
provincialism  of  language  would  cling  to  him,  and  it 
was  not  an  unusual  thing,  in  his  speeches  before  the 
Liberal  Club,  to  break  out  with  a  "  Gosh  all  hemlock!" 
No  one  did  more  for  the  education  of  Rev.  Minot 
Robinson's  children  than  did  this  Green  Mountain 
farmer,  whose  heart  was  gold,  and  whose  motives  were 
as  pure  as  the  brooks  which  ripple  those  beautiful  hills 


JASON  AND  MA  TILDA.  207 

that  have  endeared  themselves  to  all  who  know  them  as 
the  years  roll  by. 

Mr.  Moore  had  concluded  to  build  a  summer  resi 
dence  in  one  corner  of  the  Hazelton  farm.  "The  city," 
he  would  say,  "is  all  right  for  the  young,  but  I  am 
sure,  as  my  wife  and  I  grow  more  feeble,  we  shall  stay 
longer  in  our  summer  home,  close  to  the  heart  of  nature, 
and  close  to  Matilda,  one  of  nature's  grandest  results." 

While  others  changed  as  time  rolled  on,  Matilda 
kept  her  old  customs  that  she  practiced  in  the  days  of 
her  poverty.  She  made  her  candles  then  ; — she  made 
them  now,  not  for  the  use  of  lighting  the  rooms,  but  to 
place  in  long  rows  in  the  windows  when  any  of  the 
loved  ones  were  expected  on  the  late  train  from  New 
York.  She  would  say :  "The  candles  are  doing  more 
good  now  than  they  would  in  a  dozen  Catholic 
churches." 

All  of  the  characters,  my  kind  reader,  that  you  have 
felt  an  interest  in,  whether  located  in  city  or  town,  had 
times  when  life  seemed  dark  and  dreary,  but  when  they 
came  in  sight  of  the  old  Hazelton  farm,  and  saw  the 
lights  that  were  placed  in  the  windows  by  the  hand  of 
one  strong,  loving  woman,  they  could  each  and  all, 
repeat  the  old  familiar  words — 
"'Mid  pleasures  and  palaces,  where'er  the  heart  may 

roam, 

There's  no  place  so   dear  to  me,  there's  no  place  like 
home." 


MOONLIGHT. 


MOONLIGHT 

OR 

THE  DIVINE  SPIRIT  IN  ESTERIA  ST.  CLAIR. 


WELL,  Ned,  how  do  you  like  her?" 
"  Like  whom,  Sis  ?  " 

"  Why,  Miss  St.  Clair  ;  there  she  is  coming  down  the 
walk  with  that  stout  elderly  lady,  who,  by  the  way,  is 
her  aunt,  and  very  wealthy  ;  and  Miss  St.  Clair  is  an 
heiress  in  her  own  right." 

"  Oh  !  I  see  her  now,"  said  the  young  man.  "  I  was 
presented  to  her  a  few  evenings  ago  at  Hotel  Clyde  ; 
and  I  sized  her  up  as  one  of  that  kind  of  females  who 
are  so  different  from  the  average  of  womankind,  that  a 
man  has  to  spend  a  lifetime  to  find  out  her  peculiarities. 
I  tell  you,  my  dear  sister,  I  am  too  lazy  to  fall  in  love 
with  one  of  those  rare  specimens  of  humanity." 

"You  have  told  the  truth  this  time,  Ned ;  you  are  too 
indolent  to  accomplish  much  in  life,  anyway.  But  I  am 
like  almost  everyone  at  the  hotel.  I  literally  adore  her  ; 
and  even  the  envious  and  jealous,  when  once  in  the  circle 
of  her  magnetism  forget  the  littleness  of  their  own 
natures  and  grow  larger  in  her  life." 

"Then  you  think,  sister  mine,  that  it  is  magnetism, 
more  than  wealth  or  beauty,  that  gives  Miss  Esteria  St. 
Clair  the  prominence  of  being  the  leading  belle  of 
.the  season  ?" 

"  No,  indeed  !  Ned  Bruce,  I  don't  mean  that ;  she  is 


212  MOONLIGHT. 

a  handsome  woman,  but  she  has  wonderful  gifts ;  and 
the  best  gift  of  all  is  to  know  how  to  manage  people." 

"Yes,  that  is  a  rare  gift,  for  most  of  them  are  refrac 
tory  beasts,  at  best." 

The  lady  who  had  provoked  the  above  conversation 
walked  leisurely  by,  and  nodded  to  the  two  persons  who 
had  discussed  her  so  freely.  There  are  characteristics 
hard  to  describe,  and  so  there  are  faces.  Esteria  St. 
Clair  was  a  tall  brunette ;  but  all  the  outlines  of  her 
form  were  rounded  out  with  a  goodly  amount  of  flesh, 
without  being  corpulent ;  her  hair  took  a  dozen  shades 
— just  as  the  sun  struck  upon  it,  from  a  reddish  auburn 
to  a  coal  black,  but  generally  one  would  be  safe  to  say 
it  was  a  chestnut  brown  ;  but  such  thick,  glossy  hair  it 
was,  and  such  heavy,  arching  eyebrows,  and  such  large 
brown  eyes,  which,  like  her  hair,  varied  in  coloring, 
would  be  hard  to  find  ;  her  complexion  was  light  and 
brilliant — no  tinge  of  olive  or  brown  swept  over  her 
cheek  or  brow,  and  some  blondes  might  well  envy  her 
that  clear  white  skin  ;  but  her  greatest  charm  was  in  her 
expression,  which  was  wonderful.  A  more  mobile  face 
was  rarely  seen  ;  it  was  one  that  not  only  expressed  the 
emotions  of  her  own  mind,  but  the  thoughts  and  feelings 
of  others  who  were  talking  with  her,  until  one  would 
almost  imagine  they  were  being  photographed  upon 
this  listener's  mind  and  heart ;  her  feet  and  hands  were 
daintily  small,  her  movements  full  of  grace  and  dignity. 
Nature  had  played  no  pranks  with  Esteria  St.  Clair,  but 
had  gone  to  work  in  a  masteiful  manner,  and  had  made 
a  grand,  noble  woman,  with  a  fine  body,  a  quick  mind 
and  a  sensitive  heart,  and  then  to  see  how  lavish  Dame 


MOONLIGHT.  213 

Fortune  could  be,  had  bestowed  upon  her  wealth  and 
position,  and  as  a  crowning  touch  to  it  all,  as  nature 
sometimes  retouches  the  rose  with  a  morning  blush, 
she  had  given  her  the  most  bewitching  smile  and  the 
sweetest  voice  in  the  world. 

Back  of  Ned  Bruce  and  his  sister  stood  a  gentle 
man  who  had  watched  intently  the  lady  who  was  the 
subject  of  their  conversation,  and  with  a  look  of  amuse 
ment  laid  his  hand  lightly  on  Ned's  shoulder,  with  the 
words : 

"  I  tell  you  what,  Ned,  I  should  like  you  to  take  me 
to  Hotel  Clyde  and  introduce  me  to  this  paragon  of 
perfection  ! " 

"Ah!  is  that  you,  Rob?  Why  are  you  not  out 
visiting  your  patients,  or  your  lady  love,  or  some  old 
ladies'  home,  or  some  employment  more  practical  than 
looking  after  beautiful  belles  ?  " 

"Ned,  you  beat  all  the  fellows  to  urge  others  to  work 
and  attend  to  their  duties,  when  those  are  the  two 
things  you  make  a  study  of  your  life  to  skip  over  ; 
and  if  Miss  Bruce  will  release  you  for  a  while,  we  will 
take  a  stroll  over  to  the  hotel,  as  I  am  tired  and  nervous 
to-night." 

"With  pleasure,  Dr.  Belmont !  I  know  more  of  your 
labors  than  does  this  scapegrace  brother  of  mine,  and  if 
he  can  afford  you  a  little  recreation,  I  am  only  too 
glad." 

I  do  not  think  two  men  could  be  more  dissimilar  than 
Dr.  Robert  Belmont  and  Ned  Bruce  (a  talented  New 
York  lawyer),  or  two  men  more  attached  to  each  other. 
Dr.  Belmont  was  light,  lair  as  a  girl,  and  with  a  strong 


2i4  MOONLIGHT. 

physique;  everything  was  in  keeping,  and  from  his 
well-trimmed  mustache,  to  his  polished  boots  he  was  in 
every  way  a  gentleman;  his  face  was  marred  somewhat 
from  seeing  life  from  its  shady  side,  and  had  upon  it  that 
look  of  determination  not  to  go  beyond  in  thought  what 
could  not  be  proven  by  material  laws.  By  nature  this 
man  was  a  poet  and  a  dreamer,  but  his  life  and  mind 
had  always  been  in  constant  battle  with  the  aspirations 
of  the  soul,  which  he  thought  were  beyond  his  reach. 

Ned  Bruce's  hair  was  dark,  short  and  curly  ;  to  comb 
it  would  be  out  of  the  question  with  him  ;  a  dip  in  the 
water,  a  run  of  the  fingers  through  the  hair,  would 
suffice  to  make  his  toilet.  He  was  short,  with  a  well- 
built  frame ;  his  forehead  projected,  especially  over  his 
deep  gray  eyes,  as  much  as  to  say  :  "  I  observe  all  that 
is  going  on,  and  I  have  a  big  storehouse  of  reason  to 
lay  you  away  in."  He  was  a  born  lawyer,  with  that 
skepticism  which  looked  through  the  shams  and  pre 
tenses  of  life,  back  to  the  motive  which  actuated  every 
individual  deed.  He  reasoned  that  a  man  or  woman 
who  took  upon  themselves  burdens  they  did  not  have 
to  take,  acted  from  the  height  of  foolishness ;  his  line 
of  conduct  was  always  to  get  the  most  with  the  least 
exertion. 

When  the  young  men  arrived  at  the  hotel,  Miss 
St.  Clair  was  on  the  broad,  open  piazza,  holding,  one 
might  say,  an  informal  reception.  She  was  called  a 
great  talker,  but  the  truth  was  she  had  the  art  of  mak 
ing  everyone  else  talk;  and  just  as  the  young  men 
arrived,  she  had  succeeded  in  drawing  out  from  an  old 
farmer  a  description  of  country  life.  Farmer  Gray  had 


MOONLIGHT.  215 

suddenly  become  rich,  and  his  wife  and  daughter  had 
convinced  him  that  they  must  see  a  little  of  the  world. 
What  a  picture  it  was  that  they  all  painted  before  them; 
the  old-fashioned  words  rolled  out,  and  the  old  jokes 
told  with  a  hearty  laugh,  with  now  and  then  a  "  Yes,  I 
see,"  or  "  Right  back  of  the  lane,  was  it  not,  Mr.  Gray?" 
from  Miss  Esteria  to  help  the  old  man  along;  there  was 
the  smell  of  the  new-mown  hay,  the  blush  of  the  old 
garden  rose,  the  hum  of  the  bee  amid  the  honeysuckle 
vines,  brought  vividly  before  those  fashionable  guests 
at  Hotel  Clyde.  The  wife  and  daughter  would  have 
been  more  pleased  if  the  old  gentleman  had  been  safe 
in  his  room;  they  knew  that  Miss  St.  Clair  was  at  the 
bottom  of  it — who  had  got  him  to  talk  of  his  past  life 
in  order  to  get  a  little  happiness  out  of  (to  him)  the 
uncomfortable  surroundings.  As  he  rose  to  go,  he  said: 
"  Gosh,  Miss,  you  ought  to  be  farmer's  wife;  you  know 
just  how  a  man  feels  who  longs  for  the  old  milk  pail  and 
the  green  meadows  of  his  old  home." 

A  smile  rippled  over  the  faces  of  those  who  heard 
the  remark,  for  the  belle  of  Hotel  Clyde  had  no  more 
knowledge  of  a  farm  than  a  daisy.  She  held  out  her 
hand  to  Ned  Bruce,  who  introduced  his  friend,  Dr.  Bel- 
mont ;  but  she  never  looked  up  or  noticed  them  again. 
The  two  men  walked  away  soon,  as  they  had  remained 
longer  than  they  had  intended. 

"Well,  Rob,"  said  Ned,  "what  do  you  think  of 
her?" 

"  It  is  no  longer  a  secret  to  me  wherein  lies  this 
woman's  power.  I  call  it  the  great  law  of  human  sym 
pathy.  She  is  very  sensitive,  with  a  temperament  which 


2i6  MOONLIGHT. 

belongs  entirely  to  artistic  people,  and  one  that  is  out  of 
place  in  fashionable  society;  if  nature  has  made  no  mis 
take  in  body  or  mind,  she  certainly  has  misplaced  this 
lady's  artistic  life,  for  she  never  can  thrive  on  the  food 
that  the  world  will  serve  up  to  her.  I  tell  you,  Ned,  I 
am  fortunate  in  being  engaged  to  Nettie  Filmore,  or  I 
might  do  the  foolish  thing  and  fall  in  love  with  her,  and 
I  made  up  my  mind  a  wife  should  not  have  an  organi 
zation  I  see  this  young  lady  has." 

"Yes,  Rob,  I  keep  subtracting  the  qualities  a  wife 
should  not  have,  and  I  have  got  it  down  to  a  cypher  ; 
and,  as  I  don't  care  to  be  a  figure-head,  I  shan't  carry 
that  cypher  along  in  my  life." 

And,  with  a  hearty  ring  of  laughter,  he  bade  his  friend 
good  night. 

Dr.  Belmont  was  frequently  called  .to  Hotel  Clyde 
professionally,  in  serious  as  well  as  trifling  cases  ;  he  was 
young,  good-looking  and  popular.  It  was  not  an  unu 
sual  thing  for  some  of  those  dames  of  society  to  feel 
the  need  of  medical  aid  when  digestion  was  impaired  by 
overeating,  or  nerves  unstrung  by  lack  of  sleep.  This 
morning  the  case  was  a  critical  one,  and  just  as  he  was 
about  to  go  down  the  broad  staircase,  he  heard  a  merry 
ripple  of  laughter,  and  Miss  St.  Clair's  well-modulated 
voice  in  the  hall  below  him. 

"  Why,  Donna,  you  look  really  fine  with  this  red  rose  ; 
so  let  me  pin  it  on  your  frock." 

"Bress  your  heart,  honey,  youse  so  unlike  de  swell 
ladies  ob  dis  here  hotel.  I  tole  my  ole  auntie  youse  de 
light  ob  de  house;  she  says,  'Reg'lar  sunshine,  she  is.' 
'No,  she  ain't,' says  I;  'nuffin  like  ole  hot  sunshine — she's 


MOONLIGHT.  217 

jes'  like  moonlight,'  an'  I  gets  to  callin'  you  '  Miss 
Moonlight,'  as  I  cum  near  twistin'  my  tongue  up  in  a 
knot  tryin'  to  say  dat  ar  name  ob  yourn." 

"Well,  Donna,  I  think  that  is  a  nice  name,  and  I  like 
nicknames." 

"  So  does  I,  Miss,  but  de  ole  preacher  said  t'other 
night  that  nicknames  ar  dat  wicked  dat  he  wuz  'shamed 
ob  all  de  darkies  round  here  usin'  dem.  Says  he : 
'  What  ef  de  Lord  had  called  Moses,  Mose,  and  Solo 
mon,  Sol?'  One  ole  nigger  spoke  up,  'Jes'  as  good,  ef 
de  Lord  called  loud  enuff.'  '  You  shut  up,  Brudder 
Pete-.'  '  You  look  hyar,  preacher ;  you  jes'  practice 
what  you  preach ;  my  name  is  Peter  Ephriam  Silas 
Brown.'  Now,  Miss  Moonlight,  you  jes'  git  married 
an'  take  me  'long  wid  you — all  de  gals  git  married  ef 
dey  can — its  de  fashion,  but  de  gals  in  dis  here  hotel 
would  jump  forty  feet  ef  dey  could  ketch  a  man." 

"Well,  Donna,  I'll  promise  to  take  you  if  I  get  mar 
ried  ;  but  I  am  not  so  anxious  as  to  perform  any  of 
those  gymnastic  feats  you  mention,"  and  with  a  pull  of 
Donna's  woolly  curls  she  ran  down  stairs. 

Robert  Belmont  stopped  for  a  moment  to  reason  why 
he  had  listened  to  that  conversation,  and  the  thought 
came  forcibly  home  to  him  that  the  colored  girl's  ideas 
were  right  about  the  influence  that  Mi.ss  St.  Clair  shed 
about  her  ;  it  was  truly  like  the  soft,  lovely  light  of  the 
moon — it  held  what  it  attracted  ;  and  many  a  time 
when  his  nerves  had  been  exhausted,  and  heart  cast 
down,  he  felt  refreshed  and  cooled  under  its  influence 
whenever  he  came  in  contact  with  her,  and  henceforth 
he  would  associate  her  in  his  thoughts  with  the  moon- 


2i8  MOONLIGHT. 

light,  and  if  he  ever  came  to  know  her  well  he  would 

call  her  by  this  name  so  well  suited  to  her. 

*  * 
* 

There  was  a  great  flutter  in  the  hotel  over  a  fresh 
arrival — Lord  Clarence  Harcourt,  of  London — single, 
rich  and  fine-looking  ;  what  a  prize !  There  had  been 
so  many  broken-down  nobles  arrive  in  the  fashionable 
world,  that  a  rich  one  was  an  unusual  occurrence  ; 
though,  of  Course,  papas  and  mammas  had  been  glad  to 
marry  their  daughters  to  these  poor  lords. 

Mrs.  Augustus  St.  Clair  adjusted  the  folds  of  her  rich 
gown,  put  on  her  strongest  eye-glasses,  and  said  softly 
to  herself :  "  At  last  he  has  come!  That  is  the  man 
for  Esteria,"  and  she  tapped  her  fan  emphatically. 
"Now,  my  husband  and  Esteria  can  find  no  fault  with 
him,  and  the  world  will  say  I  have  made  a  success  of 
my  niece's  life ;  not  that  I  would  sell  Esteria — I  don't 
have  to — she  is  rich — so  is  he — money  should  always 
wed  money — that  is  my  theory ;  but  beauty  needs  a 
title,  and  here  it  is."  She  was  too  wise  and  worldly  to 
make  any  confidants  of  any  of  her  sisters  in  the  matri 
monial  game  ;  she  kept  her  plans  to  herself. 

Lord  Harcourt  was  a  typical  English  gentleman  of 
the  world  ;  a  most  confirmed  sensualist,  covered  over 
with  formal,  quiet  English  manners  ;  his  dark  brown 
beard  was  trimmed  in  the  latest  style,  his  hair  was 
parted  a  la  English,  but  not  to  give  any  one  the  idea 
that  he  was  of  the  "  dude  "  stamp  ;  his  love  of  sports 
was  one  of  his  strongest  characteristics,  and  to  be 
thought  well  of  in  the  world  of  fashion,  the  height  of 
his  ambition.  He  loved  no  one  so  well  as  Lord  Clarence 


MOONLIGHT.  219 

Harcourt  himself;  next  his  thoroughbred,  his  dog  and 
gun.  Of  course,  if  he  should  ever  marry,  he  would  be 
proud  of  his  wife — but  to  love  a  woman — "I  guess 
not !"  he  would  exclaim  :  "  it  would  be  only  a  waste  of 
time."  A  wife  at  his  time  of  life  was  a  necessity — a 
man  of  thirty,  who  had  lived  so  long  in  society,  was 
liable  to  be  looked  upon  as  a"ra^"if  unwed,  and 
women  were  shy  of  that  class  of  men.  He  would  go  to 
America  and  find  a  wife ;  but  he  fluttered  from  city  to 
city,  from  hotel  to  hotel,  and  was  about  to  give  it  up 
when  he  arrived  at  Hotel  Clyde,  and  mingling  among 
the  guests,  was  introduced  to  Miss  Esteria  St.  Clair,  and 
made  to  feel  very  comfortable  by  her  austere  aunt.  The 
flattery  of  this  lady,  which  fed  his  vanity,  the  indiffer 
ence  of  the  young  lady,  which  excited  his  pique,  settled 
the  question  that  he  would  make  this  girl  his  wife.  A 
few  weeks  later,  when  writing  home  to  a  friend,  he  said  : 

"  Dear  Jack  : — I  suppose  you  are  wondering  what  I 
am  doing  over  in  this  blasted  country.  Well,  old  fel 
low,  I  am  looking  for  a  wife,  which  is  not  a  hard  task, 
for  the  marriageable  girls  are  literally  thrown  at  the 
head  of  a  live  lord.  A  man  with  a  title  can  come  over 
here  with  the  worst  of  records,  and  he  can  sail  back 
with  a  couple  of  millions,  a  fool  of  a  wife,  an  old  pork- 
packing  father-in-law,  and  a  mother-in-law  who  helped 
the  old  man  on  in  trade  by  making  candles.  But,  by 
Jove  !  I  have  found  a  young  lady  who  does  not  come 
under  this  head  ;  very  handsome,  quite  brilliant,  a  little 
sentimental,  and  money  all  made  in  gold  mines. 

"The  aunt  has  made  up  her  noble  mind  that  I  am  the 
man — society  has  made  up  its  mind  that  I  am  the  man — 


220  MOONLIGHT. 

I  have  made  up  my  mind  that  I  am  the  man;  and  now, 
who  in  the  world  can  say  I  am  not  the  man  ;  and 
whether  the  girl  is  pleased  with  my  loving  disposition  or 
not  later  on,  I  don't  care.  How  do  you  find  the  time 
flying  with  you  ?  Keep  your  eye  out  for  a  fast  span, 
as  I  shall  run  over  with  my  bride  in  the  autumn  ;  and 
don't  you  forget,  old  boy,  to  drink  to  my  good  health. 
Yours,  &c." 

Society  had  fanned  itself  asleep  over  the  affair,  and  as 
the  gay  young  lord  had  predicted,  the  cards  were  out,  and 
Mrs.  Augustus  St.  Clair  was  up  to  her  eyes  with  the 
care  of  the  trousseau,  for  in  October,  Miss  Esteria 

St.  Clair  was  to  be  married  to  Lord  Clarence  Harcourt. 

*  * 
* 

Dr.  Belmont  found  that  one  of  his  cases  at  the  hotel 
was  past  all  medical  aid;  it  was  a  young  girl  who  had 
been  stopping  at  the  hotel  for  a  week  past,  friendless  and 
unknown;  as  her  physical  sufferings  grew  more  intense, 
he  concluded  he  must  tell  her  that  she  could  not  live 
but  a  short  time  ;  this  is  not  an  easy  task  for  a  doctor, 
and  one  not  called  for  in  many  cases.  He  knew  the 
story  of  this  girl's  life,  and  it  would  not  permit  his  con 
science  to  allow  her  to  go  into  the  great  beyond  with 
no  thought  or  preparation. 

Words  fail  to  depict  the  wild  terror  of  that  'mere 
child  when  she  came  face  to  face  with  death — caused  by 
a  false  idea  of  the  other  life.  To  some  it  may  be  easy 
to  die,  but  with  others  there  is  no  horror  greater.  Look 
ing  wildly  at  him  for  a  moment,  she  moaned,  "  I  want 
to  see  some  good,  kind  lady." 

"  Would  not  a  clergyman  do,  or  a  priest?" 


MOONLIGHT.  221 

"Oh,  no!  do  get  the  tall,  brown-eyed  lady!  She 
was  kind  to  me,  and  has  a  tender  heart." 

"  Do  you  mean  Miss  St.  Clair?  " 

"Yes!  Yes!" 

Dr.  Belmont  hesitated  before  he  could  make  up  his 
mind  to  ask  her,  or  any  of  the  gay  throng  below,  for 
he  did  not  have  the  greatest  confidence  in  the  sympathy 
of  women  of  fashion  ;  he  shrank  from  asking  a  young 
woman  to  share  the  secret  of  this  poor  storm-tossed 
soul,  about  to  be  launched  into  eternity.  What  would 
she  say  to  her?  He  had  not  long  to  wait,  as  the  pain 
was  more  intense,  the  anguish  greater,  the  entreaties 
more  earnest  for  some  woman  to  come  to  her  side.  He 
resolved  to  try  the  experiment  and  see  if  some  lady 
outside  of  the  servants  would  go  through  with  him  this 
ordeal.  Hastily  going  below  into  a  small  parlor  where 
the  creme  de  la  crime  was  to  be  found  at  this  hour,  he 
briefly  stated  that  one  of  his  patients  was  dying  and 
requested  the  sympathy  of  one  of  her  own  sex. 

If  a  bombshell  had  exploded  in  their  midst,  it  would 
not  have  created  a  greater  mental  disturbance.  One 
explained:  "  O,  doctor!  don't  ask  me;  I  have  not  the 
least  bit  of  courage."  Another  said  :  "  Why  not  call  a 
clergyman?"  Another:  "I  am  so  liable,  dear  doctor, 
to  faint!"  But  amid  all  these  exclamations  Esteria 
St.  Clair  arose  and  said  in  her  clear,  ringing  voice  :  "  I 
will  go  ! " 

"Why,  my  dear,"  said  her  aunt,  "you  are  beside 
yourself!  It  may  be  some  contagious  disease." 

"  No,"  said  the  doctor,  "  do  not  be  afraid  on  that 
point." 


222  MOONLIGHT. 

"  Miss  St.  Clair,  I  earnestly  protest  against  your 
going,"  said  Lord  Harcourt. 

At  this  juncture,  Esteria's  uncle,  who  was  playing  his 
favorite  game  of  whist,  and  rarely  spoke  in  his  life, 
threw  down  his  cards,  saying  :  "  My  lord,  don't  dic 
tate  to  that  girl — she  knows  where  to  go  and  when ; 
and  can  be  trusted  anywhere." 

This  speech  so  upset  the  entire  company,  that  the 
little  old  maid  got  the  latest  scandal  mixed  up,  so  that 
she  did  not  know  whether  her  dear  friend  ran  off  with 
the  coachman  or  her  dear  mother.  Mrs.  Augustus  St 
Clair,  feeling  that  something  must  be  said,  remarked  : 

"  Oh,  well — go,  my  dear  ;  "  and  turning  to  Lord 
Harcourt,  said  :  "  Esteria  is  very  noble  hearted." 

"  That  means,"  said  he  in  a  low  tone,  "  another  name 
for  being  a  fool." 

The  worldly  dame  looked  keenly  at  him  from  out 
the  corner  of  her  eye,  and  there  crept  through  her 
sluggish  brain  a  suspicion  that  perhaps  this  man  had 
not  all  the  requisites  to  make  her  niece  happy  ;  but  she 
did  not  dwell  upon  the  thought,  and  simply  said  :  "  I 
hope  you  will  not  be  contaminated  in  this  affair, 
Esteria." 

Miss  St.  Clair  drew  herself  up  to  her  full  height  as 
she  turned  to  follow  the  doctor,  with  the  words  :  "  How 
could  a  dying  girl  contaminate  me  ?  " 

"  Sure  enough,"  said  an  old  lady,  "  why,  bless  her 
heart" 

Esteria  hastened  to  the  bedside  of  the  sufferer,  who 
looked  up  with  a  smile,  saying  :  "  I  knew  you  would 
come ;  "  and  requesting  Dr.  Belmont  to  retire  to  the 


MOONLIGHT.  223 

parlor  adjoining,  she  commenced  in  a  low,  strained 
voice  to  pour  into  the  ears  of  Esteria  the  secret  of  her 
life.  Only  a  word  now  and  then  reached  the  ears  of 
the  doctor,  but  he  distinctly  heard  Esteria  say  :  "  Great 
God  !  can  such  things  be  ?  "  but  the  story  was  finished 
at  last,  and  then,  like  an  undisciplined  child,  she  wailedr 
"  Oh,  kind  lady,  tell  me  what  will  become  of  me  ?  " 

There  are  supreme  moments  in  many  people's  lives 
when  one  seems  to  be  lifted  out  of  their  own  thought 
and  become  inspired  ;  such  an  event  had  overtaken 
Esteria  ;  to  settle  the  great  problem  of  the  soul  here 
after  was  beyond  one  of  her  years,  but  she  talked  to 
that  troubled  soul  of  the  love  of  God,  of  the  beautiful 
world  beyond,  as  if  those  subjects  had  been  the  con 
stant  thought  of  her  life.  The  doctor  heard  her  say : 
"  You  did  not  come  into  the  world  by  volition  of  your 
own  ;  you  have  found  the  circumstances  beyond  your 
control  ;  God  is  greater  than  any  creature  that  He  has 
created,  so  be  brave  to  meet  any  fate  that  He  may  have 
in  store  for  you,  and  rejoice  that  you  can  escape  from  a 
world  that  has  made  you  so  wretched." 

"Yes,"  said  the  dying  girl,  "I  have  faith,  I  repent, 
and  I  believe  that  all  will  be  well." 

These  thoughts  are  the  grand  trinity  of  all  religions 
in  every  country. 

She  then  sank  into  a  stupor  that  so  resembled  death, 
that  Esteria,  frightened,  called  to  the  doctor. 

"She  is  not  dead,"  he  said;  and  soon  she  opened 
her  eyes  and  exclaimed  :  "  Oh  !  I  saw  my  dead  mother, 
and  she  said  :  '  My  poor  little  girl,  come  with  me,  for  it 
is  beautiful  where  I  live  ;'  but,  dear  lady,  I  shall  leave 


224  MOONLIGHT.. 

the  burden  of  my  life  with  you  ;  for  I  feel  that  through 
you  many  who  suffer  as  I  have  can  be  saved.  God — 
bless — and — keep — you. ' ' 

The  curtain  has  fallen  on  the  last  act  of  this  girl's  life. 

When  Esteria  turned  to  Dr.  Belmont,  he  saw  a  white 
and  anguished  face  before  him  ;  she  spoke  so  low  he 
could  hardly  distinguish  the  words  :  "  Oh,  the  agony  of 
it  all !  Oh  !  the  crime  of  it  all !  Will  life  ever  seem 
the  same  to  me  again?  I  feel  I  have  grown  so  old 
to-night;"  and  sinking  into  a  chair,  she  gave  herself  up 
to  the  emotion  she  could  no  longer  restrain. 

Dr.  Belmont  drew  near,  forgetting  that  he  and  she 
were  each  promised  to  another,  and  struggled  to  resist 
the  temptation  of  pouring  out  his  love  and  sympathy 
for  her.  He  believed  the  greatest  act  a  soul  can  do  is 
to  suffer  for  another,  and  this  Esteria  had  done  to  the 
fullest  extent. 

"  I  will  remain  and  prepare  this  body  for  burial,"  said 
she  ;  "  take  my  purse  and  get  the  finest  casket  and  the 
whitest  flowers  you  can  find ;  for  it  is  the  least  we  can 
do  for  her." 

"Well,"  said  the  doctor,  "but  the  ceremonies?" 

"  What  ceremonies?" 

"Why,  a  priest  or  clergyman." 

"The  greatest  ceremony  that  can  be  held  over  the 
dead  is  love,  and  that  will  be  missing.  What  can  be 
said  for  her,  now  ?  What  should  have  been  done  for 
her  soul  should  have  been  done  when  she  was 
alive." 

"  But,  my  dear  Miss  St.  Clair,  we  must  consider  the 
speech  of  people." 


MOONLIGHT.  225 

"  Oh  !  you  mean  the  people  of  society  who  criticise 
what  they  will  not  aid?  Well,  I  will  consent  to  a  short 
prayer,  but  no  loud  music  or  long  sermon  shall  be  heard 
over  this  body  which  held  a  soul  so  bruised  by  the 
world,  that  for  her  sufferings  the  angels  well  might  weep." 


*  * 
* 


After  the  excitement  caused  by  this  death  was  overr 
Lord  Harcourt  took  in  the  situation  as  only  a  man  of 
the  world  can,  that  Esteria  had  passed  through  some 
little  experience  that  had  not  sweetened  her  ideas  of 
life  ;  and  at  this  particular  juncture  shone  forth  one  of 
this  gentleman's  peculiarities.  He  never  missed  an 
occasion  where  he  could  make  a  strong  point  without 
availing  himself  of  it ;  less  worldly  men  would  have 
quizzed  Esteria  or  joked  her  about  her  sad  face,  but  not 
Lord  Harcourt.  "  I  must  ingratiate  myself  with  her 
now  or  never,"  he  thought. 

One  evening  he  said :  "  I  believe  we  all  need  a 
change  of  scene,  and  what  rides  we  will  all  take  over 
the  country ;  but,  by  the  way,  did  you  know  that  I  can- 
sing  ?  By  Jove  !  yes — I  do  believe  I  can  do  better  than 
half  of  these  would-be  professionals." 

And,  much  to  the  astonishment  of  Esteria,  he  walked 
gaily  to  the  piano,  and  ran  his  fingers  over  the  keys- 
and  soon  the  room  was  filled  with  the  sweetest  melody 
one  ever  heard.  A  finer  tenor  voice  would  be  hard  to- 
find,  and  his  musical  education  had  been  perfect  ;  such 
sweet  old  ballads,  and  dear  old  Spanish  songs,  that 
Esteria  drew  near  to  him,  perfectly  charmed.  He 
stopped  with  a  gay  laugh,  saying  :  "  Why,  you  seem 
surprised,  my  dear." 


226  MOONLIGHT. 

"  Yes,  I  am.  I  never  thought  you  were  musical ; 
but  truly,  you  are  a  genius.  Why  did  you  never  sing 
before." 

"Well,  you  know,  I  could  not  very  well  say  to  my 
valet,  '  You  tell  the  people  I  am  dying  to  sing  to  them  ; ' 
in  fact,  I  pity  the  guests  of  many  of  the  hotels,  who 
have  to  listen  to  every  young  elocutionist's  latest  recita 
tion,  or  listen  to  some  song  out  of  time  and  tune,  until 
their  only  release  is  to  rush  out  of  doors,  or  lock  them 
selves  in  their  rooms." 

After  this,  Lord  Harcourt  followed  up  a  train  of 
amusements — a  ball,  a  ride,  or  a  dinner — and  when 
Esteria  would  break  out  in  sympathy  over  some  unfor 
tunate  story,  read  or  heard,  he  would  laughingly  say: 

"  Don't  you  worry  over  those  kind  of  people  ;  why, 
I  have  known  them  to  go  a  couple  of  blocks  out  of 
their  way,  just  to  have  a  tale  of  sorrow  to  pour  into 
some  sympathetic  ear  like  your  own." 

The  wedding  came  off  at  the  Hotel  Clyde.  The 
flowers  were  the  rarest,  the  music  the  finest,  and  the  gifts 
the  most  lavish ;  for  many  a  woman  who  could  not 
afford  to  give  a  common  linen  towel,  whose  husband 
felt  called  upon  to  cheat  someone  out  of  a  cool  thousand 
to  meet  his  wife's  demands — such  a  woman  would  give 
silver  and  gold  to  the  beautiful  Lady  Harcourt. 

A  short  time  after  this  event,  another  wedding  occurred 
in  a  very  quiet  manner,  in  the  little  church  near  the  hotel 
— Dr.  Robert  Belmont  and  Miss  Nettie  Filmore.  The 
world  all  prophesied  that  this,  as  well  as  the  other  one, 
would  be  very  happy  ;  but,  alas  !  the  world  knows  very 
little  about  such  matters. 


MOONLIGHT.  227 

There  was  one  person  who  was  not  so  sanguine  that 
this  union  would  be  a  happy  one. 

Ned  Bruce  and  his  sister  were  walking  slowly  home 
from  the  church,  when  he  broke  out  with  the  remark  : 

"  Why,  Sis,  don't  you  see  that  woman  will  make  Rob 
wretched  ?  Nature  has  got  things  mixed  in  her  case — 
blue  eyes,  black  hair,  and  a  waxy  skin  !  Bah  !  her  tem 
perament  is  against  her ;  she  is  wilful,  and  will  want  her 
own  way,  which  she  has  never  had,  and  she  is  going  to 
carry  it  to  the  extent  of  being  contrary ;  and  then,  she 
is  the  incarnation  of  selfishness.  Lucky  poor  Rob  has 
no  relatives — they  would  be  set  out  doors  quick ;  it  is, 
'me  and  mine,1  and  not  'thee  and  thine,'  in  her  case. 
No  more  quiet  smokes  with  Rob,  unless  he  comes  to  my 
office,  and  then  he  will  have  to  steal  away  from  home." 

"  Why,  Ned  !  what  a  dark  picture  you  have  painted," 
said  Miss  Bruce  ;  and  she  drew  a  little  sigh,  for  she  was, 
way  down  in  her  heart,  quite  fond  of  her  brother's  hand 
some  friend,  the  doctor. 

"  Well,  I'll  tell  you,  Sis,  marriages  are  mighty  risky 
nowadays.  Why,  you  don't  know  what  you  enjoy ! 
Don't  you  take  your  little  hand-bag  and  go  to  New 
York,  and  spend  what  you  wish  of  your  own  money, 
without  saying  a  word  to  anyone  ?  Haven't  I  heard  you 
talk  up  to  men  twice  your  size  without  being  knocked 
down " 

"What,  Ned?" 

"  I  mean,  knocked  down  in  argument.  Now,  you 
just  keep  clear  of  the  marriage  venture;  for  I  tell  you, 
if  I  had  married  Nettie  Filmore,  I  should  have  killed 
her — or  she  me.  The  thousrht  makes  me  think  of  a 


«8  MOONLIGHT. 

fight  I  once  saw  between  a  sly  old  cat  and  a  terrier  dog  ; 
he  did  beat  at  last,  by  pure  brute  force  ;  but  not  until 
she  had  pulled  all  his  hair  out,  and  scratched  out  one 
eye — and  that's  the  way  it  would  end  between  Nettie 
and  me." 

"  Well,  Ned,  I  am  too  plain  to  marry — the  man  I 
might  care  for,  might  not  care  for  me." 

"  No,  it's  not  that  that  keeps  you   single — you  have 

too  much  common  sense." 

*  * 

* 

Time  flies  rapidly,  or  slowly,  according  to  the  condi 
tion  of  the  mind  and  heart ;  if  one  is  very  happy  they 
cannot  remember  the  days  even,  or  if  the  brain  is  very 
busy  you  see  the  same  effect ;  but  with  those  in  sorrow 
or  unhappy  conditions,  the  days,  months  and  years  are 
doubled. 

Three  years  in  Europe,  constantly  traveling,  had 
developed  our  heroine  from  a  sensitive,  earnest  girl 
into  a  calm,  clear-headed  woman.  Lady  Harcourt  had 
discovered  that  life  held  many  shams,  and  that  the 
greatest  of  all  was  an  unhappy  marriage,  where  one  had 
to  appear  that  it  was  exactly  the  opposite ;  but  she  was 
too  proud  a  woman  to  pin  her  heart  on  her  sleeve  to  be 
pecked  at  by  the  daws  of  the  world.  Lord  Harcourt 
had  changed  but  little,  only  in  temper ;  marriage  did 
not  improve  his  disposition,  especially  with  a' wife  of  the 
temperament  of  Esteria.  He  was  a  man  that  really 
wanted  some  one  to  find  fault  with,  and  his  wife  was 
too  popular  with  his  world  to  openly  disagree  with  her; 
and  she  was  too  indifferent  to  him  to  curtail  his  liberty. 
Wearying  of  constant  travel,  Esteria  had  begged  to 


MOONLIGHT.  229 

return  to  America  and  visit  the  place  where  they  weie 
married,  where  she  now  owned  a  summer  house  near 
the  Hotel  Clyde. 

Yes,  he  would  go,  as  there  was  good  fishing  in  that 
vicinity,  and  with  his  horses,  dogs,  and  trips  into  the 
city,  he  could  get  along  for  a  few  months. 

They  had  been  settled  but  a  few  weeks  when  his 
lordship  came  into  the  house  one^day,  much  out  of 
temper  (not  an  unusual  thing).  An  accident  had 
occurred  in  front  of  their  house,  caused  by  one  of  his 
dogs  which  had  broken  away  from  his  keeper,  and  had 
frightened  a  horse  driven  by  our  friend,  Dr.  Belmont, 
accompanied  by  his  wife,  and  the  latter  was  thrown  out 
and  seriously  injured. 

"Now,  what  are  we  to  do?"  asked  Lord  Har- 
court. 

"  Why,  open  your  home  to  them  ;  it  was  your  dog 
that  caused  the  mischief,  and  if  not,  we  should  at  least 
be  hospitable." 

"Oh,  yes!  I  am  to  blame,  of  course!  and  as  you 
don't  believe  in  horse-racing,  fox-hunting,  or  any  sort 
of  sport  which  affords  a  man  a  good  time,  this  occur 
rence  will  afford  you  a  good  moral  point ;  but  it  doesn't 
make  any  difference  to  me  what  you  believe,  or  what  you 
do  not,  for  I  shall  keep  all  the  horses  and  dogs  I  want, 
and  go  where  I  please." 

"  I  have  never  complained,  have  I  ?  " 

"  No  !  You  are  too  smart  not  to  see  that  it  would  do 
no  good,  and  you  don't  happen  to  be  one  of  the  crying 
kind,  either.  I  rather  suspect  you  manage  to  look  out 
for  number  one,  and  get  lots  of  amusement  out  of  your 


23°  MOONLIGHT. 

charities   and  travels,  so  you  can  well  afford  to  let  me 
go  by  myself." 

After  these  slurring  remarks,  he  turned  on  his  heel, 
ready  to  meet  his  guests  with  warm  welcome.  When 
they  appeared  Lady  Harcourt  could  hardly  believe  her 
eyes  ;  could  this  be  the  tall,  handsome  doctor  she  had 
met  a  few  years  ago  ?  His  hair  had  turned  prematurely 
grey,  his  eyes  sunken  and  heavy,  his  expression  one  of 
constant  care  and  worry,  and  altogether  his  general 
appearance  gave  one  the  feeling  that  the  man  carried  a 
burden  greater  than  he  could  bear.  They  had  not  long 
to  wait  to  find  the  cause  of  such  a  transformation.  As 
they  were  tenderly  bringing  his  wife  into  the  house,  her 
high,  sharp  voice  reached  their  ears  with  the  words, 
"she  knew  they  could  carry  her  more  carefully  if  they 
tried,  and  the  doctor  knew  it  hurt  her,  and  did  it  pur 
posely  " — and  many  such  remarks  which  shocked  even 
Lord  Harcourt,  who  was  well-bred  enough  to  keep  all 
ill-timed  words  from  the  ears  of  his  neighbors. 

Time  had  not  dealt  kindly  with  Nettie  Filmore  Bel- 
mont  any  more  than  it  had  with  her  husband ;  she  was 
pretty  no  longer — her  skin  was  yellow  and  wrinkled, 
her  hair  was  pulled  back  from  her  narrow  forehead,  and 
the  snarl  that  was  ever  in  her  voice  was  painted  on  her 
face.  Dr.  Belmont  could  only  look  pained  and  embar 
rassed,  but  made  his  wife  as  comfortable  as  she  would  be, 
and  went  down  to  Lord  and  Lady  Harcourt.  "lam 
glad  to  see  you  once  more  looking  so  finely.  I  regret 
to  make  you  all  this  trouble,  but  trust  that  in  a  few  days 
my  wife  can  be  removed." 

"  Don't  mention  it;  make  yourself  perfectly  at  home," 


MOONLIGHT.  231 

said  Lord  Harcourt;  but  before  leaving  the  house  he 
said  to  his  wife,  "  Don't  imagine  you  can  keep  me  here, 
if  by  any  chance  that  she-devil  cannot  be  removed  ;  she 
is  the  worst  shrew*  I  ever  saw,  and  has  succeeded  in 
changing  a  once  handsome  doctor  into  a  broken-down 
old  man." 

Mrs.  Belmont  did  not  gain  as  was  expected;  it  was 
not  only  a  fractured  limb,  but  her  spine  was  injured. 
She  was  a  woman,  who,  in  her  own  home,  could  not 
retain  a  servant  long,  and  the  doctor  could  find  no  one 
who  would  take  the  care  of  her;  he  would  have  to  give 
up  his  practice  and  take  care  of  her  himself.  But  here 
Lady  Harcourt  came  to  the  rescue — she  would  invite  no 
guests  to  be  entertained  at  her  home;  and  Lord  Clarence 
received  a  dispatch  from  a  friend  in  Canada  to  join  him 
on  a  hunting  tour.  Lady  Harcourt  thought  the  doctor 
best  keep  up  his  practice  and  leave  his  wife  with  her 
until  fully  recovered. 

The  trial  of  having  the  care  of  the  injured  woman 
took  all  the  fortitude  of  Esteria,  and  the  patience  of  the 
doctor.  One  disagreeable  person  in  a  household  can 
work  the  discomfort  of  all  the  others.  It  is  like  the  broken 
main-spring  of  a  watch — without  this  perfect  the  rest  of 
the  machinery  is  of  little  service. 

Fate  had  thrown  Esteria  and  Robert  Belmont  together 
in  order  that  they  might  know  more  of  each  other's 
inner  lives  than  they  could  have  learned  in  years  of 
ordinary  acquaintanceship. 

It  was  a  hazy,  lazy  summer  day;  the  doctor  had 
driven  away  to  visit  his  patients,  the  invalid  was  asleep, 
and  all  about  the  place  was  quiet  except  Donna.  She 


232  MOONLIGHT. 

came  running  into  Lady  Harcourt's  presence,  exclaim 
ing  :  "Oh,  see  !  Miss  Moonlight,  what  I'se  got !  " 

"  Why,  what  have  you  ?" 

"  Dis  hyer  one  wid  er  needle  run  fru  him  am  er 
bumblee-bee  ;  dat  odder  one  am  er  skeeter.  Now  dat 
bee  he  tried  ter  sting  me,  but  he  couldn't  cotch  me, 
'cause  I  dodge ;  but  bymeby  he  got  ter  sleep  on  er 
rose-bush,  and  I  cotched  him ;  but  dat  ar  skeeter — I 
runned  and  dodged,  but  he  bite  me  like  de  debbil." 

"  Why,  Donna,  what  kind  of  language  do  you  call 
that?" 

"  Why,  black  !  Miss  Moonlight,  black  !  You  see,  I 
had  ter  bring  dese  tings  in  fer  you  ter  see  how  dat  doc 
tor  man  am  situated.  I'se  watched  an'  watched  dat 
sick  woman,  an'  I  know  she  am  er  skeeter,  she'll  bite 
him  ;  no  use  his  dodgin'  it — ef  she  wuz  only  er  bee, 
now,  Miss  Moonlight,  he  might  run  away  an'  not  git 
hurt.  I  jes'  got  myself  in  er  awful  scrape  t'other  day. 
I  wouldn't  er  dun  it  fer  five  dollars.  I  wanted  ter  let 
him  know  dat  wife  of  hiz'n  wuz  a  skeeter  an'  bit  him, 
and  I  dun  got  my  foot  right  in  it.  He  wuz  er  cornin' 
down  stairs  t'other  mornin',  an'  I  'tended  not  ter  hear 
him,  an'  I  sed  to  ole  Dinah  :  '  I  wish  dat  sick  woman 
wuz  a  chicken.'  '  Why?'  sed  Dinah.  '  'Cause  I'd  like 
ter  wring  her  neck,  fry  her  an*  frow  her  ter  de  pigs.'  I 
looked  up  an'  'spected  he'd  laff,  but  he  looked  so  sad 
an'  speckled  like  an  ole  hen.  I  jes'  run  an'  butted  my 
head  agin  de  stable  do',  but  my  skull  wuz  so  thick  dat 
it  didn't  hurt;  so  I  jes'  takes  off  my  shoes  an'  runs  over 
some  thistles  ter  see  how  I'd  feel  when  I  got  pricked, 
an'  it  hurt  mighty  bad.  Now  I  wants  ter  know,  Miss 


MOONLIGHT.  233 

Moonlight,  what  I  kin  do  ter  let  de  good  doctor  know 
dat  I'se  sorry." 

"  Offer  to  do  him  some  little  act  of  kindness,  Donna, 
and  like  all  true  gentlemen,  he  will  know  you  are 
repentant  without  saying  a  word." 


*  * 
* 


The  summer  had  glided  by.  Mrs.  Belmont  had  par 
tially  recovered,  but  would  never  be  entirely  well. 
Esteria  had  passed  a  restless  day,  for  some  natures  feel 
the  spiritual  changes  of  the  soul  atmosphere  as  others 
do  the  physical  atmospheric  changes.  She  had  wan 
dered  from  room  to  room,  from  the  piazza  to  her  studies 
in  the  grove,  and,  at  last,  had  strolled  down  into  the 
garden,  and  sank  into  one  of  the  easy  chairs  that  Donna 
had  .trimmed  so  profusely  with  flowers,  that  Esteria 
looked  like  the  picture  of  a  fairy  queen.  She  had  been 
sitting  and  dreaming  in  this  secluded  spot,  forgetful  of 
fleeting  time.  The  moon  was  shedding  its  pale  rays 
over  the  garden  when  she  roused  herself  from  her 
reveries  and  thought  of  returning  to  the  house,  when 
suddenly  she  became  aware  of  a  presence,  and  looking 
up  beheld  Robert  Belmont  standing  before  her,  pale  and 
resolute.  As  he  discovered  her  sitting  in  the  rays  of 
the  moon,  again  there  came  to  him  the  thought,  how 
much  she  resembled  that  bright  orb;  he  had  no  idea 
when  he  entered  the  garden  of  pouring  out  the  anguish 
of  his  heart  into  the  sympathetic  soul  of  Lady  Harcourt. 
But  she,  with  that  wonderful  foresight  which  many 
women  of  her  temperament  possess,  threw  up  her  hand 
in  a  frightened  manner,  as  if  to  warn  him  of  the  pain 
which  she  felt  he  was  about  to  inflict  upon  them  both. 


234  MOONLIGHT. 

But,  alas  !  there  are  times  in  all  lives  when  the  psychi 
cal  conditions  are  such  that  reason  has  no  power  over 
them — the  emotions  are  like  a  stream  without  a  dam, 
and  the  person  is  thrown  into  it  without  any  .power  to 
save  themselves. 

Robert  Belmont  had  only  thought  of  thanking 
her  for  her  kindness,  and  impressing  upon  her  mind  the 
happiness  her  society  had  given  him  ;  but  the  thought 
that  he  was  about  to  leave  her  home,  and,  perhaps,  her 
presence  forever,  overcame  him,  and  forgetting  all  else 
he  told  her  of  his  great  love  for  her,  and  the  wretched 
ness  of  his  own  life,  and  in  his  despair  he  could  only 
say,  "What  shall  I  do?"  Many  people  had  come  to 
her  in  her  short  life  with  these  same  words,  "What  shall 
I  do?"  and  her  soul  had  always  risen  to  the  solution  of 
the  problem,  and  given  them  some  light  and  hope;  but 
to-night  she  felt  how  poorly  her  own  life  was  sustained, 
and  her  soul  longed  to  cry  out,  "What  shall  we  do  ?  " 

She  realized  that  this  man  would  have  made  her 
life  happy  ;  that  he  was  in  her  hands  to  be  marred  or 
blest.  If  it  was  love,  it  would  go  on  forever — it  could 
not  die  ;  it  was  only  a  question  of  adapting  him  to  the 
right  rendering  of  it.  It  seemed  a  long  time  to  the 
nearly  heart-broken  man  before  Esteria  spoke,  and  then 
her  voice  trembled  so  it  was  hardly  audible.  "  I  realize 
it  all,  Robert.  Your  love  for  me  awakes  a  correspond 
ing  chord  in  my  soul.  It  is  not  'what  can  you  do  with 
your  life,'  but  '  what  can  we  do  with  our  lives  ? '  It  is  a 
question  whether  this  love  of  ours  will  make  music  for 
the  world,  or  discord.  It  will  not  be  hard  to  settle  the 
question  if  we  both  realize  the  truth  that  love  is  not 


MOONLIGHT.  235 

gauged  from  a  physical  standpoint,  but  from  the  mind 
and  soul.  Time,  distance  and  space  have  no  power  to 
separate  two  thus  united." 

"But  have  we  no  remedy  for  the  mistakes  of  mar 
riage  ?  " 

"Unfortunately,  we  have  not.  We  made  the  mistake 
ourselves,  and  belong  to  a  class  of  society  where  two- 
thirds  are  situated  like  ourselves.  You  might  well 
envy  the  circus  clown  whose  wife  frees  him  by 
running  away  with  some  other  performer.  I  might 
envy  my  laundress  whose  husband  beats  and  abuses  her 
until  the  courts  free  her  from  him.  With  us,  we  must 
go  on  ;  life  is  short — especially  for  me — and  eternity  is 
beyond  us." 

"  I  have  studied  life  from  its  material  side,  and  fear  if 
I  lose  you  now  from  my  life,  I  shall  lose  you  forever." 

"No,"  answered  Esteiia,  "thought  transfer  has 
become  an  established  fact,  and,  mentally,  who  can 
separate  you  from  me  ?  and  if  the  soul  exists  beyond, 
which  I  believe,  our  love  for  each  other  will  be  con 
tinued  and  intensified.  You  must  live  to  carry  out  the 
good  which  I  believe  we  two,  who  are  instruments  in 
the  hands  of  a  higher  power,  are  destined  to  accomplish. 
Promise,  as  you  love  me,  to  do  what  I  desire.  I  shall  go 
to  Europe  in  the  autumn,  I  believe  never  to  return. 
Take  up  your  life  here  with  new  courage  and  hope,  and 
wait  patiently  for  the  inspiration  that  my  life  can  bring 
to  yours.  My  fortune  is  my  own,  and  Lord  Harcourt 
would  disdain  accepting  it  for  his  own  use,  and  does  not 
need  to.  I  will  place  this  fortune  in  your  hands  to  use 
for  humanity  in  a  plan  I  will  send  to  you  later  when 


236  MOONLIGHT. 

perfected ;  and  now,  dear  love,  while  we  may  not  meet 
again  in  this  life,  in  the  life  to  come  we  cannot  be 
separated." 

Who  could  say  that  the  embrace  with  which  they 
parted  had  aught  of  sin  ?  The  world  so  gross  in  its 
estimation  of  love,  might  condemn  them,  but  not  so  with 
the  angels,  for  she  had  arisen  from  the  love  of  self  to 
the  love  of  humanity,  and  he? — he  would  battle  with 
himself  as  one  did  of  old  in  the  garden  of  Gethsemane, 
until  he  could  say  "  not  my  will,  but  thy  will  be  done." 
He  realized  that  she  had  floated  out  of  his  life  and  left 
him  upon  the  grand  mountain  of  spiritual  life,  from 
whence  henceforth  he  must  look  at  the  world,  never 
again  to  descend  into  the  material  laws  which  had  con 
trolled  him. 

*  * 

Redcliff  was  a  town  well  situated  as  a  centre  for  any 
enterprise,  but  the  descendants  of  the  original  settlers 
had  drifted  into  an  indifference  which  was  surprising  for 
a  town  in  so  prosperous  a  State.  It  was  not  far  from 
New  York  City,  and  the  farmers  had  become  inde 
pendent,  and  why  should  people  care  what  became  of 
the  town  proper  ?  At  the  time  our  story  opens  Red- 
cliff  was  a  popular  resort.  Immense  hotels  were  erected 
in  and  around  the  place;  the  scenery  was  as  fine  as  could 
be  found  in  any  part  of  the  country;  business  men  could 
enjoy  the  country  air,  and  yet  not  be  long  away  from 
their  great  financial  interests,  and  this  is  a  requisite  that 
all  consider  in  building  up  a  summer  resort.  Money  is 
the  aim  and  incentive  of  American  life  that  must  be 
gained  at  the  expense  of  pleasure,  many  times  ;  but 


MOONLIGHT.  237 

when  one  can  combine  business  and  enjoyment,  the 
true-born  Yankee  is  quick  to  avail  himself  of  this 
privilege. 

Lady  Harcourt  soon  closed  her  summer  home  after 
the  departure  of  the  Belmonts.  She  wired  her  husband 
to  meet  her  in  New  York  and  to  everyone  she  seemed 
intensely  pre-occupied. 


*  * 
* 


When  Esteria  St.  Clair  became  of  age  her  uncle  took 
her  to  his  office  and  said  to  her:  "My  dear,  sit  down 
and  let  me  explain  to  you  some  of  your  business 
affairs.  I  have  always  kept  a  secret  the  extent  of  your 
fortune.  Why  ?  Because  I  believed  for  your  own  wel 
fare  it  was  .the  right  course  for  me  to  pursue.  I  will 
keep  the  secret  from  you  no  longer,  as  you  are  about 
to  take  control  of  it  yourself.  One  word  of  advice, 
Esteria  :  Keep  the  amount  of  it  to  yourself,  as  far  as  the 
world  is  concerned,  and  live  quietly  and  reasonably,  as 
you  have  always  done.  Your  father  left  you  three  mil 
lion  dollars,  safely  invested  ;  but  you  have  been  brought 
up  with  the  idea  that  it  was  but  three  hundred  thou 
sand,  and  this  is  all  you  or  any  one  can  make  use  of  for 
their  own  personal  affairs.  Three  millions  to-day  is  not 
such  a  large  fortune  when  we  consider  that  there  are 
families  who  represent  thirty  or  forty  millions ;  and  if 
you  have  no  children,  Esther,  three  millions  will  allow 
you  to  carry  out  any  idea  you  may  have  for  the  benefit 
of  the  world,  as  I  am  independent  and  your  only 
relative." 

Lady  Harcourt  was  thinking  of  this  conversation 
when  she  happened  to  be  passing  the  office  of  Ned 


238  MOONLIGHT. 

Bruce,  and  concluded  to  step  in   and  see  that  gentle 
man. 

"  Ah,  good  morning,  Lady  Harcourt ;  can  I  be  of 
any  service  to  you  ?  " 

"Yes,  I  wish  to  make  my  will  ;  also  to  deed  over  a 
piece  of  property  to  a  friend  as  a  gift,  before  departing 
for  Europe.  It  is  a  friend  of  yours,  also,  and  his  life  has 
not  been  as  happy  as  you  and  I  might  wish  ;  but  in  the 
future,  or  a  few  years  hence,  you  will  see  that  he  will 
have  no  time  for  unhappiness.  In  the  meantime,  I  wish 
him  to  enjoy  the  books  and  rest  that  I  am  sure  this 
little  retreat  will  afford  our  friend,  Dr.  Belmont." 

Ned  Bruce  with  difficulty  repressed  a  whistle  of 
surprise  ;  but  his  habit  of  at  once  going  to  the  motive  of 
one's  acts,  solved  the  problem  of  the  friendship  which 
he  knew  existed  between  them.  His  surprise  at  the 
extent  of  her  fortune  and  what  she  destined  it  for,  made 
him  think  but  little  about  the  gift  to  Dr.  Belmont.  This 
gift  was  a  studio,  fitted  up,  as  he  pictured  to  himself,  in 
a  highly  moral  style,  or  it  wouldn't  be  like  a  woman — a 
place  in  which  a  man  could  not  enjoy  himself  if  he 
would.  Lady  Harcourt  appointed  him  her  agent  to 
buy  a  large  tract  of  land  which  she  named,  situated  in 
the  most  romantic  spot  in  Redcliff,  to  be  held  for  future 
use. 

A  week  later  Lord  and  Lady  Harcourt  were  upon  an 
ocean  steamer  bound  for  Europe,  attended  by  Donna 
and  his  lordship's  valet,  and  with  more  satisfaction  to  all 
parties  than  one  would  at  first  imagine,  considering  that 
Esteria  was  leaving  her  native  land  never  to  return. 
Lord  Harcourt  was  tired  of  living  in  a  country  which 


MOONLIGHT.  239 

afforded  so  little  that  was  perfected  in  the  line  of  sport 
for  a  gentleman  of  leisure  ;  Europe  was  none  too  old 
for  him.  Lady  Harcourt  seemed  to  have  a  feverish 
desire  to  visit  once  more  the  different -nations,  not  to  see 
the  country,  but  to  study  the  people  with  a  view  of 
learning  from  the  great  mass  of  humanity  as  a  whole, 
what  could  be  done  for  them  in  any  individual  enter 
prise.  She  was  also  determined  to  educate  Donna  in  a 
business  manner,  for  her  future  work;  unlike  many  of 
her  race  she  took  kindly  to  the  idea.  She  had  large 
curiosity,  which  is  an  element  most  needed  to  make  one 
apply  themselves  to  learn  anything  new.  Lady  Har 
court  would  spend  hours  daily  in  teaching  Donna  how 
to  pay  bills,  to  send  telegrams  or  cablegrams,  and  to 
travel  from  city  to  city  without  anyone  to  rely  upon  but 
herself. 

Three  years  glided  by.  Lord  Harcourt,  naturally 
restless,  had  formed  the  habit  of  gambling,  and  spent 
much  of  his  time  at  Monte  Carlo.  This  most  attractive 
place  stands  upon  a  promonotory,  commanding  a  mag 
nificent  view.  To  say  that  the  establishment  was  most 
luxuriously  fitted  up,  would  be  but  a  feeble  way  of 
expressing  it ;  the  rich  and  elegant  tapestry,  the  soft 
and  delicate  covering  of  the  furniture,  its  carpets  of 
velvet,  its  rarest  gems  of  art  were  incomparable.  There 
is  no  day  in  the  year,  even  Sundays,  but  the  doors  of 
this  beautiful  palace  are  thrown  open  to  the  eager 
public,  who  throng  in  multitudes  to  cope  with  Dame 
Fortune  in  the  way  of  game.  Monaco  has  become 
famous  by  giving  to  the  world  this  one  place  of  vice,  so 
attractively  surrounded  with  fine  grounds,  and  so  orderly 


240  MOONLIGHT. 

conducted  that  even  many  who  refrain  from  gambling 
are  only  to  anxious  to  gain  seats  in  the  spacious  parlors 
and  balconies,  or  watch  with  interest  the  infatuated  ones, 
who  are  as  liable  to  lose  their  heads  in  excitement  over 
the  green  table,  as  if  they  were  intoxicated  with  wine. 

One  evening  Lord  Harcourt  was  called  to  leave  his 
seat  at  the  table,  by  a  messenger  sent  in  by  his  valet. 
No  matter  how  important  the  message  may  be,  it  would 
put  him  out  of  sorts,  as  he  knew  his  seat  would  be 
•quickly  taken,  as  many  were  waiting  for  their  chance. 
He  was  surprised  to  see  only  Donna's  black,  shiny  face. 

"  What  the  devil  do  you  want  here  ?  " 

"Well,  you  see,  Massa  Harcourt,  my  dear  lady  ain't 
been  well  ob  late,  an'  she  gits  de  idee  dat  ef  she  dies, 
she  wants  her  friends  in  'Meriky  ter  take  her  back  ter 
de  Ian'  ob  her  born  place;  so  she  says,  'Go,  Donna,  an' 
ask  Lord  Harcourt  to  sign  dis  hyer  paper.' ' 

His  lordship,  anxious  to  return  to  the  Casino,  looked 
carelessly  over  the  paper,  and  seeing  it  was  only  some 
official  red  tape,  which  had  to  be  signed  by  him  if  the 
remains  of  Lady  Harcourt  were  removed  by  her  friends 
to  America,  he  signed  the  paper  and  then  whirled  Donna 
around,  saying :  "  Now  remember,  you  black  imp,  don't 
you  ever  come  to  bother  me  with  any  such  nonsense  of 
your  mistress*.  I  won't  even  receive  a  letter  hereafter. 

You  have  ruined  my  game  to-night,  and  it's  all  d 

foolishness.  Lady  Harcourt  is  always  talking  of  dying  ; 
there  is  no  such  good  luck.  She  looks  as  she  ever  did, 
and  that  means  the  perfection  of  health." 

Donna  backed  away  out  of  his  reach,  and  with  snap 
ping  eyes  said  :  "  De  hoofs  an'  de  horns  am  er  growin' 


MOONLIGHT.  241 

on    you.     I  sees  dem  ;  an'  bymeby  de  ole  debbil  will 
hab  you  frowin'  on  de  sticks  ter  keep  de  fire  way  down 

in  his  cook  room." 

*  * 
* 

Dr.  Belmont  worked  on  unceasingly,  giving  himself 
no  time  to  think  of  the  one  great  passion  of  his  life  ;  it 
was  with  a  nervous  start  that  he  one  day  encountered 
Ned  Bruce  on  the  street.  The  latter  thought  it  about 
time  to  inform  his  friend  of  his  gift  from  Lady  Har- 
court. 

"  Hello,  Rob  !  I  have  a  paper  for  you  ;  and  guess 
I'll  go  along  and  look  over  your  property  with  you." 

Seeing  how  astonished  his  friend  looked,  he  added, 
"  Didn't  you  know,  old  fellow,  that  Lady  Harcourt, 
before  going  abroad,  gave  you  her  library  and  studio? 
Well,  here  is  your  title,  and  I  confess  that  I  have  a  great 
curiosity  to  see  the  place." 

Robert  Belmont  suffered  Ned  to  lead  him  away,  the 
latter  chatting  about  the  studio,  saying  it  would  doubt 
less  be  nothing  a  man  could  care  for,  although  Lady 
Harcourt  had  said  to  him  that  she  had  changed  it  so  as 
to  be  suitable  for  a  man's  comfort. 

When  they  reached  the  place  they  found  a  good- 
sized,  octagon-shaped  structure,  painted  white,  with 
orange  trimmings  ;  there  were  many  stained-glass  win 
dows  of  various  shapes,  which  admitted  a  soft  orange 
light ;  the  exterior  was  covered  with  flowering  vines. 
Ned  almost  lost  his  breath  at  the  beauty  and  arrange 
ments  of  the  interior;  the  floor  was  of  tiles  of  rare  stone 
and  marble,  covered  with  rich  fur  rugs  ;  the  beautiful 
divan  and  easy  chairs  were  upholstered  in  orange  and 


242  MOONLIGHT. 

white  plush  ;  the  walls  were  covered  with  book-cases 
and  paintings  ;  the  draperies  were  of  white  and  orange 
satin,  and  a  marble  tablet  at  the  end  of  each  shelf  on 
which  was  a  description  of  the  contents  of  each  shelf,  - 
which  were  classified  to  represent  different  phases  of  life  ; 
by  touching  a  spring  over  the  divan  a  hidden  music- 
box  was  made  to  play  all  the  favorite  airs  of  Lady  Har- 
court ;  hanging  near  the  centre  was  a  large  gold  censer, 
and  there  was  an  elegant  and  commodious  desk,  fitted 
up  with  everything  one  could  imagine,  with  white  and 
gold  trimmings,  and  over  it  some  curious  little  drawers, 
which  attracted  Ned's  attention. 

"  By  George,  Rob  !  what  do  you  think  is  in  here?  " 

"  I'm  sure  I  cannot  imagine,"  said  Rob,  who  seemed 
to  be  in  a  dream,  and  feared  an  awakening. 

"  Why,  nothing  more  or  less  than  good,  first-class 
Havana  cigars  !  I  think  we  best  try  one  now  and  see  if 
she  was  a  good  judge  of  the  weed." 

Above  these  drawers  were  shelves  containing  unique 
cut-glass  bottles  full  of  cordials,  prepared  by  Esteria, 
who  was  a  natural  chemist ;  and  Dr.  Belmont  knew  their 
value  in  restoring  exhausted  nature,  as  he  had  used 
them  in  sickness  among  his  patients  while  he  had  been 
domiciled  at  her  home.  Pipes  of  every  description, 
from  all  nations,  lying  here  and  there  in  dainty  receivers, 
excited  Ned's  admiration  more  than  the  paintings  or 
bric-a-brac. 

Robert  drew  aside  the  drapery  from  one  of  the  win 
dows  and  exclaimed,  "  Look,  Ned  !  "  The  latter,  turn 
ing  suddenly,  was  startled  with  the  vision  that  met  his 
eyes.  Was  it  the  light  of  the  moon,  or  was  he  becom- 


MOONLIGHT.  243 

ing  superstitious  ?  He  thought  it  was  Lady  Harcourt 
who  seemed  to  stand  before  them,  so  lifelike  was  the 
full-length  portrait  smiling  at  them  from  an  easel  near 
the  window.  They  were  both  silent  for  some  moments, 
when  the  doctor  broke  the  silence.  "  Is  it  all  a  dream  ? 
Oh,  the  bitterness  of  the  awakening  !" 

"  No,  Rob,  it's  no  dream  ;  its  stern  reality.  I  tell  you 
what,  as  old  ladies  say,  I've  had  an  awful  turn  to-night. 
First,  this  room  in  all  its  appointments,  so  unlike  what  I 
had  expected,  and  the  vividness  of  the  picture — so  real 
and  lifelike — has  convinced  me  that  Esteria  Harcourt  is 
going  to  die  !  She  can't  live  ;  no  use  in  talking — no 
rounded  out  woman  like  herself,  who  comprehends  a 
man's  needs  in  this  life  can  remain  on  this  earth  long." 
"  It's  the  breadth  of  her  nature  as  well  as  the  depth, 
that  gives  her  this  insight  into  human  nature,"  answered 
the  doctor. 

"  That's  just  it,"  said  Ned  ;  "  I  want  women  to  see 
that  we  poor  devils  who  are  battling  in  business  life 
need  something  more  than  a  clean  shirt,  a  religious  tract 
or  even  a  good  dinner." 

While  Dr.  Belmont  was  a  man  of  few  words,  Ned 
perceived  how  deeply  affected  he  was  by  these  surround 
ings.  "  I  tell  you  what,  old  boy,"  said  he,  "  I  appre 
ciate  the  motive  which  actuated  the  lady's  heart,  and 
your  realization  of  it ;  and  while  I  am  not  a  least  bit  soft 
about  love,  I  respect  it,  and  if  there  were  more  women 
like  Esteria  Harcourt  I  would  brace  up  and  marry,  by 

•George  !  " 

*  * 
* 

Ned  Bruce  had  given  up  his  law  office  in  New  York 


244  MOONLIGHT. 

City,  and  had  decided  to  settle  down  in  Redcliff;  but 
before  doing  so,  he  and  his  sister  were  to  take  a  trip 
to  Europe,  and  visit  their  uncle,  Sir  Edward  Bruce,  an 
eminent  lawyer  in  London.  By  a  strange  coincidence 
this  firm  had  always  been  the  solicitors  of  the  Harcourts, 
and  Sir  Edward  was  the  confidential  adviser  of  Lord 
Clarence. 

During  Mr.  and  Miss  Bruce's  travels  in  Italy  they 
came  in  contact  with  Lady  Harcourt  and  renewed  their 
acquaintance.  Ned  grew  more  enthusiastic  over  the 
loveliness  of  her  character,  and  came  as  near  falling  in 
love  with  her  as  his  skeptical  mind  would  permit  him  ; 
he  would  declare  to  his  sister  that  he  would  like  to 
shoot  Lord  Harcourt  for  neglecting  his  wife  so  much. 
Miss  Bruce,  with  a  mournful  shake  of  her  head,  would 
say:  "I'm  sure,  Ned,  she  can't  live  long;  and  such 
men  as  he  never  know  what  they  possess  until  they  lose 
the  gem,  and  then  they  wonder  why  they  did  not  attend 
more  carefully  to  the  setting." 

"  Of  course  she  will  die,  Sis!  I  have  told  Rob  so,  but 
he  could  not  endure  the  thought." 

"  Neither  can  I,  Ned.  There  are  so  many  foolish, 
worthless  women,  who  only  act  from  a  selfish  standpoint, 
not  even  making  those  around  them  happy,  that  it 
would  seem  fairly  wicked  for  God  to  take  this  beauti 
ful  woman  out  of  his  life." 

"  Then  you  don't  believe,  Sis,  that  '  whom  the  gods 
love  die  young,'  or  that  there  is  a  ghost  of  a  chance  for 
a  ghost  to  do  any  good  hereafter  ?  I'm  am  sure  I  don't 
know  how  it  is  over  there,  for  I  never  stopped  over  a 
train  to  find  out." 


MOONLIGHT.  245 

Ned  and  his  sister  returned  to  London,  but  Lord 
Harcourt  lingered  at  Monaco  over  his  wines  and  games. 
Esteria  faded  slowly  in  the  hot  climate  of  Italy. 
Autumn  came  on  with  all  its  varied  coloring,  the  time 
most  fit  to  die,  as  one  seemed  to  escape  the  dreariness 
of  winter,  and  like  the  rich,  gay  blanket  of  the  Indian 
chief,  who  wraps  himself  in  it,  and  lies  down  to  awaken 
in  the  happy  hunting  grounds,  so  the  soul  can  seem  to 
clothe  itself  in  the  gorgeous  beauty  of  autumnal  loveli 
ness  to  awaken  in  a  fairer  and  better  land. 

Chance  or  luck  had  been  decidedly  against  Lord 
Harcourt  winning  for  a  week ;  he  was  cross  and  restless 
to  the  degree  that  he  was  an  annoyance  to  others.  One 
evening,  disgusted,  he  strolled  back  to  the  hotel,  hoping 
he  might,  at  least,  find  some  one  to  divert  his  mind. 
Two  charming  ladies  were  seated  on  the  broad  piazza, 
and  the  thought  occurred  to  him  that  he  would  sit  down 
a  short  distance  from  them  and  listen  to  what  they 
might  be  saying  of  the  world  outside,  they  being  recent 
arrivals.  The  frequenters  of  Monte  Carlo  were  gener 
ally  so  absorbed  in  gambling  that  the  events  of  the 
world  outside  had  little  or  no  effect  upon  them.  The 
younger  lady  was  speaking.  "  I  declare,  Auntie,  I 
never  was  so  shocked  in  my  life  ;  I  have  not  entirely 
recovered  from  it  yet" 

"  Oh,  you  mean  the  death  of  that  beautiful  lady  ;  you 
were  to  tell  me  all  about  it,  you  know." 

"  Yes  ;  you  know  she  was -a  very  wonderful  woman. 
She  did  not  look  the  least  bit  sick  ;  and  she  was  so 
entertaining — why,  everyone,  old  and  young,  almost 
worshipped  her.  The  evening  she  died  was  the  love- 


246  MOONLIGHT. 

liest  moonlight  night  you  ever  saw,  and  she  was  dressed 
so  exquisitely — just  as  if  she  were  going  to  the  opera  ; 
she  wore  a  heavy  cream  silk,  covered  with  rare  old  lace, 
pinned  here  and  there  with  diamonds,  which  really 
looked  like  stars  peeping  out  of  fleecy  clouds  ;  and  a 
long  white  opera  cloak  lined  with  ermine  and  trimmed 
with  deep  white  ostrich  feathers;  the  cloak  had  a  hoed 
that  her  maid  had  pulled  over  her  beautiful  hair.  Some 
one  remarked  that  if  the  cloak  were  a  red  one  she 
would  pass  for  gypsy  queen,  ready  to  read  the  future  of 
those  around  her.  She  laughed  so  merrily  and  said  : 
'  It  will  make  no  difference  about  the  color  of  the  cloak  ; 
you  can  imagine  that  it  is  red,  and  I  feel  like  prophesy 
ing  to-night."  So  we  all  had  our  fortunes  told,  young 
and  old,  and  she  said  such  strange  things  that  many 
believed  them  true,  so  carried  away  were  they  with  its 
charm.  From  fortune-telling  her  conversation  drifted 
into  her  belief  of  the  destiny  of  the  soul  ;  while  all 
young  people  generally  run  away  from  such  subjects, 
this  evening  they  seemed  held  to  her  side.  Why, 
Auntie,  her  cheeks  were  so  red  one  moment  and  then 
so  white,  and  her  eyes  shone  like  stars,  that  it  seems 
strange  now  that  no  one  realized  how  really  ill  she  was. 
Her  maid  did  speak  to  her  once  or  twice,  but  she  paid 
no  heed.  She  said  :  '  What  a  pleasure  it  would  be  for 
some  souls  to  sail  out  into  another  life  on  such  a  beauti 
ful  night  as  this.'  And  she  laughed  a  rippling  laugh 
that  died  away  in  a  sigh  ;  then  she  laid  her  head  over, 
against  the  back  of  the  chair,  and  the  beautiful  Lady 
Harcourt  was  dead." 

Lord  Harcourt  tried  to  rise — to  speak,  but  sank  back 
in  his  seat,  powerless. 


MOONLIGHT.  247 

"  Why,  Auntie,"  the  young  lady  continued,  "  one 
woman  fainted  away,  and  all  the  hotel  was  in  confusion. 
'Twas  just  like  a  play,  was  it  not?  And  here  is  the  odd 
part  of  it :  When  they  said  she  was  really  dead,  her 
colored  maid,  whom  we  thought  quite  bright  until  then, 
said  :  '  Dear  Moonlight  am  not  dead,  she  am  only  gone 
to  hebben  to  see  dem  dar,  an*  will  come  agin  ter- 
morrer,  for  she  said  so.'  How  ridiculous  !  " 

The  proprietor  of  the  hotel  remarked  to  the  ladies 
that  the  gentleman  sitting  near  them  was  quite  ill,  and 
suggested  their  retiring  into  the  parlor. 

The  shock  of  the  news  to  Lord  Harcourtof  his  wife's 
death,  and  the  dramatic  manner  in  which  he  learned  it, 
together  with  the  excitement  he  had  undergone  the  past 
week,  had  caused  the  blood  to  rush  to  his  brain,  so  that 
he  lost  consciousness.  When  he  came  to  himself,  he 
only  thought  of  his  personal  grief  in  losing  what  was  a 
valuable  possession  to  him  ;  it  was  his  wife  ;  it  was  Lady 
Harcourt ;  it  was  the  loss  of  a  woman  who  had  thrown 
a  lustre  over  his  own  life,  which  he  lacked  in  his  own 
nature. 

As  he  was  being  borne  rapidly  toward  London  he 
thought  if  he  could  only  see  her  face  again,  and  make 
her  realize  that  in  his  heart  of  hearts  he  loved  her  as  well 
as  he  was  capable  of  loving  any  one,  he  would  give  all 
he  hoped  to  possess  in  this  world.  Such  strange  con 
tradiction  is  in  the  nature  of  man.  Who  can  account 
for  their  fancies  or  caprices?  His  first  thought  when 
he  arrived  in  London  was  to  find  fault  with  some  one 
for  not  letting  him  know  of  her  death.  He  called  at 
his  lawyer's  and  asked  why  his  mail  and  telegrams  had 
not  been  forwarded  to  him. 


248  MOONLIGHT. 

"  Because,  Lord  Harcourt,  here  is  your  letter  of 
recent  date,  saying,  on  no  account  do  so." 

He  then  remembered  that  he  had  written  not  to  forward 
letters  and  telegrams  while  he  was  away  on  pleasure,  as 
he  would  not  be  annoyed  with  them.  "But,  did  you 
know,  Sir  Edward,  that  my  wife  was  dead?" 

"Great  God!     No!" 

And  the  usually  calm  man  of  business  walked  back 
and  forth,  saying:  "The  beautiful  Lady  Harcourt  is 
dead !  I  know  you  have  had  several  messages  of  late, 
and  now,  perhaps,  we  best  look  them  over." 

They  found  one  from  a  noted  physician,  simply  say 
ing  :  "  Lady  Harcourt  died  of  heart  disease  at  Hotel 
Palace  at  ten  o'clock  this  evening ; "  and  another  say 
ing  :  "  How  are  we  to  act  in  the  matter?"  Another  of 
later  date,  from  the  officials,  read  :  "  That  as  no  one  had 
arrived  to  see  to  arrangements,  Lady  Harcourt  had  been 
buried  with  all  ceremonies  due  to  her  wealth  and  posi 
tion." 

Lord  Harcourt  groaned  aloud.  He  had  only  himself 
to  blame,  but  that  thought  does  not  take  away  the  sharp 
edge  of  sorrow. 

Ned,  coming  into  his  uncle's  office,  and  seeing  the  look 
of  excitement  upon  the  old  gentleman's  face,  and  not 
seeing  anyone  else  present,  asked  : 

"  What  the  deuce  is  the  matter  ?  " 

"The  loveliest  woman  in  all  England  is  dead,  Ned; 
died  among  strangers." 

"  Who  was  she?" 

"Lady  Esteria  Harcourt." 

For  a  moment  Ned  was  speechless. 


MOONLIGHT.  249 

"  Where  in  the  devil  was  her  husband  ?  " 

Ned's  own  feeling  of  grief  had,  for  the  moment,  made 
him  angry. 

"  He  was  a  brute,  anyhow  ;  neglected  her  shamefully. 
Served  him  right,  to  lose  the  sweetest  woman  in  all  the 
world  ! "  And  turning,  he  left  the  room  to  inform  his 
sister,  whom  he  knew  would  mourn  sincerely. 

"  I  will  attend  to  the  business  arrangements,  my 
lord,"  said  Sir  Edward.  "Under  the  circumstances, 
and  your  present  nervous  state,  I  would  not  go  to  Italy; 
'twill  do  no  good  now.  She  was  a  woman  who  gave 
much  thought  to  her  business  affairs.  This  I  know ; 
and  as  she  no  doubt  left  a  will,  there  will  be  no  trouble 
in  settling  up  everything." 

"  I  do  not  want  any  property  she  may  have  possessed; 
I  only  want  her,"  said  the  really  penitent  man. 

"You  should  have  thought  of  that,  my  lord,  a  few 
years  ago  ;  and  while  it  might  not  have  saved  a  life  so 
fragile  as  I  always  imagined  hers  to  have  been,  it  would 
have  sweetened  your  memory  of  her  happiness,  which 
now  you  can  lay  no  claim  upon." 

The  wretched  man  reeled  into  the  street,  haunted  by 
the  thoughts  of  the  past;  he  would  drown  them  in  wine 
and  drugs,  and  forget,  if  possible,  that  the  light  of  his 


life  had  gone  out  forever. 


*  * 
* 


Robert  Belmont  had  returned  to  the  studio  late  one 
evening,  thinking  to  remain  there  and  not  disturb  his 
wife,  who  was  growing  more  and  more  irritable.  How 
weary  he  was,  and  how  tired  and  heavy  his  limbs,  and 
how  restful  seemed  the  soft,  luxurious  divan.  He  could 


250  MOONLIGHT. 

not  say  how  long  he  had  slept ;  he  heard  a  voice,  sweet 
and  faint,  and  then  as  it  sounded  nearer  to  him  he  dis 
tinctly  heard  the  words  :  "Robert,  wake  up!  I  am 
with  you  !  "  Starting  from  the  couch,  he  saw,  as  plainly 
as  he  saw  the  bookcases  and  paintings  on  the  walls, 
Lady  Esteria  Harcourt.  It  could  not  be  any  trick  of 
the  imagination,  for  she  was  not  dressed  in  anything  he 
had  ever  seen -her  appear  in.  The  rich,  white  opera 
cloak  had  fallen  oft  from  one  arm  and  shoulder,  and  she 
touched  her  heart  with  that  infinite  grace  of  movement 
so  characteristic  of  her.  "Esteria,  for  God's  sake,  is  it 
you  ?  Speak  to  me  !  " 

"Yes,  Robert;  and  now  we  will  work  together,"  and, 
like  a  cloud,  she  faded  from  his  sight. 

Great  drops  stood  upon  his  brow  ;  in  all  his  medical 
science  there  was  no  accounting  for  such  a  vision,  unless 
he  had  lost  his  mind.  Arising  hastily,  he  sat  himself  at 
the  desk,  to  see  if  he  could  concentrate  his  faculties 
enough  to  write  a  prescription.  He  only  wrote  the 
words  :  "  Moonlight  died  at  the  Hotel  Palace,  Florence, 
on  October  2oth,  at  ten  o'clock."  And  he  thought  of 
Shakspeare's  words:  "There  are  stranger  things  in 
heaven  and  earth  than  are  taught  in  men's  phil 
osophy." 

When  he  received  a  cablegram  from  Ned  Bruce  a  few 
days  later,  announcing  the  death  of  Lady  Harcourt,  he 
was  not  astonished  nor  puzzled  when  he  saw  that  the 
date  coincided  with  what  he  had  written  on  that  eventful 
night.  Mind  reading  may  be  wonderful,  but  thought 
transfer,  or  mental  telegraphy,  whether  the  person  is  in 
or  out  of  the  body,  is  one  of  the  most  startling  discov- 


MOONLIGHT.  251 

eries  of  the  nineteenth  century.  There  will  be  but  little 
need  of  the  word  "  separation  "  in  our  vocabulary. 

When  Ned  arrived  home  from  England,  with  the  will 
and  designs  of  Lady  Harcourt,  and  laid  them  before 
Robert,  the  latter  was  deeply  impressed  with  the  ideas 
she  wished  carried  out.  What  a  grand  era  this  would 
be,  if  more  souls  like  the  one  just  flown  from  these  earthly 
conditions,  could  be  as  magnanimous. 

The  conditions  of  the  will  read  that  Robert  Belmont, 
trustee,  should  take  charge  of  the  land  already  pur 
chased  in  Redclift,  and  erect  thereon  a  building  accord 
ing  to  the  enclosed  plans.  This  structure  was  to  com 
prise  twelve  halls,  all  situated  on  the  ground  floor,  fully 
fitted  up  to  represent  the  arts  and  sciences,  which  were 
most  akin  to  common  humanity :  Music,  painting,  law, 
oratory,  drama,  sculpture,  religion,  medicine,  agricul 
ture,  architecture,  psychometry  and  invention.  Twelve 
men  and  twelve  women  were  to  be  selected,  who  had 
become  proficient  in  these  arts  and  sciences,  to  preside 
over  these  halls,  which  were  to  be  thrown  open  to  the 
general  public,  in  order  that  all  might  avail  themselves 
of  the  advantage  of  self-instruction.  Really,  nothing 
was  to  be  taught  as  a  theory  or  system  ;  but  the  great 
collection  of  books  that  were  to  be  attached  to  each  hall, 
and  the  assistance  which  these  attendants  could  give  the 
visitors,  would  make  knowledge  comparatively  easy. 
The  place  should  be  known  as  the  Educational  Home. 
The  twenty-four  people  should  each  receive  good  sala 
ries,  and  have  erected  for  them  comfortable  homes  on 
the  grounds.  There  should  be  a  park  set  aside  for  the 
use  of  the  poor,  laid  out  with  walks,  drives,  seats,  etc. 


25*  MOONLIGHT. 

The  duties  of  these  twenty-four  people  should  not  only 
be  the  care  of  the  different  departments  they  represented, 
but  they  should  go  out  as  pilgrims  and  seek  out  the  poor 
students  who  were  eager  to  help  themselves  by  self-cul 
ture.  It  was  her  plan  that  the  institution  should  exist 
but  twenty-four  years,  although  it  was  not  absolute.  At 
the  end  of  that  time  the  property  should  be  sold  and 
divided  equally  between  the  ones  who  were  filling  the 
positions,  she  suggesting  that  by  that  time  it  might  have 
outlived  its  usefulness,  and  that  much  knowledge  might 
be  withheld  from  the  world,  by  holding  on  to  an  old 
idea,  when  there  was  really  a  demand  for  a  new 
one. 

The  inexorable  law  laid  down  was  harmony  ;  anyone 
who  produced  the  opposite  should  be  tried  by  three  of 
the  others,  and,  if  found  guilty,  should  lose  his  or  her 
position,  which  was  one  not  liable  to  be  lost  easily,  as 
the  salary  exceeded  any  teacher's  in  the  country.  Lady 
Harcourt  doubtless  thought  that  no  progress  could  be 
made  where  inharmony  reigned  ;  that  the  invariable  law 
of  good  was  unity,  not  dissolution,  and  she  made  this 
law  imperative. 

She  added  several  codicils  to  her  original  will ;  she 
bequeathed  Harcourt  Hall  and  a  sufficient  income  to 
her  husband,  and  an  income  for  Donna's  support.  If 
Dr.  Belmont  should  die  before  the  twenty-four  years 
had  expired,  the  enterprise  should  be  carried  out  by 
Ned  Bruce  and  his  sister.  Lady  Harcourt  had  found, 
in  her  intercourse  with  these  two  people,  the  last  year 
of  her  life,  that  they  were  so  devoted  to  Robert  Bel- 
mont's  interests,  they  would  be  the  proper  ones  to  cany 


MOONLIGHT.  •  253 

out  this  grand  scheme  to  help  humanity.  Her  personal 
property  was  to  be  divided  between  her  aunt,  Miss 
Bruce,  Donna,  and  other  lady  friends.  There  was  no 
especial  time  stated  when  the  building  should  be  com 
pleted,  but  as  soon  as  circumstances  would  permit ;  but 
time  and  care  were  suggested  to  find  the  right  people 
for  the  right  places,  and  an  extensive  travel  to  all  parts 
of  the  world  to  select  books,  instruments,  statuary,  etc., 

for  the  home. 

*  * 
* 

During  the  following  year,  while  the  doctor  and  Ned 
were  completing  plans  for  building  the  home  and  park, 
two  events  occurred  in  which  our  readers  may  feel  some 
interest.  Lord  Harcourt  married  again,  this  time  a 
woman  of  wealth,  but  who  was  so  coarse  and  unrefined, 
that  even  his  friends  were  surprised  ;  then  close  upon 
the  news  of  this  marriage,  came  the  death  of  Mrs.  Bel- 
mont.  Like  all  small  natures,  the  death  of  this  woman 
caused  no  ripple  upon  the  stream  of  events ;  no  one 
missed  her,  unless  it  was  the  doctor,  who  missed  the 
care  of  her.  He  reflected  much  over  his  unhappy  mar 
riage,  and  wondered  if  unhappiness  was  the  incentive  to 
growth,  as  many  believed.  He  thought  not — he  was 
too  scientific  to  believe  that,  in  this  hard  world  of  ours, 
the  best  conditions  were  any  too  good  for  the  soul's 
development ;  and  he  realized  that  what  had  come  into 
his  life  to  beautify  his  existence  was  not  misery  and 
darkness,  but  light  and  love. 

Miss  Bruce  was  to  remain  another  year  abroad  after 
the  return  of  her  brother  to  America  ;  and  as  Donna 
positively  refused  to  leave  Italy  until  Dr.  Belmontcame 


254  MOONLIGHT. 

for  the  ashes  of  her  dear  mistress,  Miss  Bruce  and  she 
were  much  together.  It  was  not  an  unusual  thing  to 
see  Donna  sitting  beside  the  grave,  and  singing  some  old 
negro  melody,  and  arranging  the  flowers  as  she  thought 
would  please  "  dear  Moonlight."  "I  know  she  ain't 
here,"  she  would  say  to  those  who  asked  her  why  she 
remained  so  long  at  the  grave,  "but  hit  'pears  ter  me 
dat  she  likes  ter  know  dat  some  one  am  jes'  remember- 
in'  what  she  liked  ;  an'  she  lubbed  deflowers,  an'  always 
called  dem  de  angels'  thoughts,  an'  such  sweet  sayin's. 
I  don't  cry  'cause  Moonlight  done  got  fru  wid  dis 
wicked  worT,  but  'cause  she  done  lef '  po'  Donna  in  it 
where  I  can't  hear  her  voice,  an'  yet  I  knows  she  can 
hear  mine.  Oh,  no !  she  ain't  settin'  roun'  singin' 
'sa'ms — she's  workin'  ter  he'p  someone,  sartin,  sho'." 
It  has  been  said  that  a  dog  was  more  faithful  than  a 
friend,  but  of  all  races,  none  are  more  true  and  devoted 
where  they  love,  than  the  negro  race  ;  they  are  natur 
ally  dependent,  and  make  the  dark  background  to  the 
fairer  Anglo-Saxon. 

As  soon  as  Robert  Belmont  could  settle  up  his  own 
affairs,  he  left  Ned  Bruce  in  charge  of  the  construction 
of  the  buildings,  and  sailed  for  Europe.  He  knew  full 
well  that  a  few  millions  would  do  the  work  more  rap 
idly  than  one  would  at  first  imagine  ;  as  the  country 
soon  took  fire  over  the  news  of  the  new  Educational 
Home,  workmen  flocked  from  all  parts  of  the  country, 
glad  to  work  for  good  pay  and  a  good  paymaster,  as 
Lawyer  Bruce  had  so  established  himself  among  the 
people.  We  appear  more  for  what  we  truly  are,  than 
many  people  are  aware  of,  especially  among  the  lower 


MOONLIGHT.  255 

classes,  who  sum  human  nature  as  correctly  as  the  most 
scientific  observer. 

When  Robert  arrived  in  Europe,  he  hastened  at  once 
to  Italy,  as  he  not  only  knew  of  Esteria's  wish,  but  his- 
own  heart  prompted  him  to  hasten  to  the  spot  where 
one  he  loved  so  dearly  had  died  and  was  buried.  It 
seemed  only  natural  to  the  natives,  who  made  pilgrim 
ages  to  Lady  Harcourt's  grave  with  flowers,  to  see  a 
tall,  handsome  man  beside  the  grave,  whom  they 
thought  was  her  husband,  and  with  a  sign  of  the  cross 
and  a  prayer  to  the  all-loving  Mother  they  would 
silently  steal  away. 

Donna,  with  that  keen  instinct  which  ever  belongs- 
to  her  race,  felt  that  Dr.  Belmont  dreaded  to  remove 
the  body,  as  he  would  have  to  look  at  it  to  see  if  all 
was  right  before  it  was  cremated.  She  said  one  day  : 

"  Don't  yer  feel  werried  'boutseein'  dear  Moonlight ; 
ef  she  had  been  buried  fur  sebenteen  years  in  dis  hyer 
col'  ground,  it  wouldn't  skeer  any  one  to  look  at  her; 
she  talked  dat  over  wid  me,  an'  I  had  her  laid  out  jesr 
as  she  wanted." 

Thus  encouraged  he  had  the  grave  opened  and  the 
casket  placed  before  him.  It  was  white,  with  silver 
mountings,  and  its  shape  and  upholstering  made  it  seem 
more  like  a  couch  than  a  coffin  ;  one  might  say  that  she 
was  not  dead,  but  only  sleeping.  She  was  dressed  in 
the  heaviest  white  silk,  the  neck  and  arms  being  cov 
ered  ;  but  over  the  sleeves  and  corsage  was  delicate 
white  lace  held  by  bunches  of  the  finest  wax  flowers  ; 
and  over  her  small  hands  were  drawn  gauntlet  gloves. 
Her  beautiful  hair  was  arranged  high  upon  her  headr 


256  MOONLIGHT. 

and  a  wreath  of  white  orange  blossoms  which  held  a 
thick  lace  veil,  completely  covering  her  face,  and  held 
by  one  hand,  so  only  the  outline  of  the  face  could  be 
seen.  The  effect  was  marvelous.  Robert  remembered 
once  seeing  a  statue  veiled  which  reminded  him  so 
strongly  of  what  he  saw  before  him  that  it  seemed  it 
must  be  the  same. 

"You  were  right,  Donna,  Moonlight  is  beautiful 
even  in  death ;  but  we  know  her  presence  is  ever  near 
us,  and  we  must  not  weep  over  the  garment  which  she 
has  laid  aside  for  one  more  beautiful.  We  have  a 
natural  body  and  a  spiritual  body  ;  we  are  sown  in  the 
natural,  but  we  are  raised  in  the  spiritual.  What  St. 
Paul  realized  nineteen  hundred  years  ago,  but  few  real 
ize  to-day." 

After  all  the  arrangements  were  completed  in  regard 
to  the  body  of  Esteria,  Robert  started  on  his  tour  to 
gather  the  materials  for  the  Educational  Home.  Donna 
returned  with  Miss  Bruce  to  America.  They  went  at 
once  to  the  residence  of  Augustus  St.  Clair  with  Lady 
Harcourt's  personal  effects.  As  the  aunt  took  up  one 
by  one  the  laces  and  jewels  of  her  dear  niece — for  she 
truly  loved  Esteria — she  would  wipe  her  eyes  and  say  to 
the  others:  "Too  bad  she  had  to  die,  when  she  was 
married  to  a  live  lord." 

"Yes,"  said  Donna,  "he  was  too  much  alive,  and 
dat's  why  dear  Moonlight  am  dead." 

Again  Mrs.  St.  Clair  adjusted  her  eyeglass,  and  took 
the  speaker  into  her  thoughts,  and  once  more  there 
came  a  faint  impression  that  perhaps  Esteria  would  have 
been  happier  with  some  other  person  ;  but — ah,  well  ! 


MOONLIGHT.  257 

why  regret  it  ?  That  is  something  that  a  person  of  fashion 
guards  against  as  faithfully  as  they  do  wrinkles  ;  it  is 
one  of  the  worst  misfortunes  that  can  overtake  them, 
which  will  find  a  votary  of  society  with  depth  of  feeling 
enough  to  have  any  lasting  regrets  or  remorse. 

During  Robert's  absence,  Ned  plunged  into  the  work 
with  the  enthusiasm  of  his  nature,  and  had  succeeded 
in  carrying  out  the  plans  to  perfection.  When  the 
doctor  returned  with  rare  collections  he  was  surprised 
to  find  the  rooms  ready  for  their  reception.  But  it 
took  the  united  efforts  of  the  trio,  as  Miss  Bruce  was 
indispensable,  to  find  the  people  best  fitted  for  the 
places ;  it  was  arranged  at  last.  In  each  hall  were 
twelve  seats,  and  as  the  hall  was  fitted  to  paint,  play  or 
study,  the  rooms  could  not  at  any  time  be  overcrowded. 
Did  not  the  selfish  take  advantage  of  this  opportunity  ? 
Certainly,  they  did.  Is  there  anything  under  the  sun 
where  the  selfish  will  not  crowd  out  the  more  deserving? 
Regulations  had  to  be  made  whereby  no  one  pen-on 
should  occupy  a  seat  longer  than  two  hours  at  a  time; 
and  while  some  departments  were  more  frequented  than 
others,  persons  waiting  for  seats  were  cordially  invited 
to  visit  other  rooms,  and  in  this  manner  they  became 
interested  in  some  other  art  or  science  besides  their 
own,  and  thus  knowledge  became  more  broad.  Bigots 
are  manufactured  from  persons  who  are  one-sided  in 
their  opinions,  caused  by  following  too  closely  their  own 
pet  ideas  ;  the  best  preacher,  actor,  or  musician,  in  fact, 
the  best  in  any  art  or  science,  is  the  person  who  can 
sympathize  with  any  art  besides  their  own  ;  in  the  man 
ner  of  development  art  moves  no  longer  in  a  straight 


258  MOONLIGHT. 

line,  but  in  a  circle,  which  commences  on  earth,  moving 
slowly  around  all  the  phases  of  life,  until  it  reaches  the 
life  divine. 

Money  is  a  great  incentive,  and  by  its  means  they 
succeeded  in  finding  men  and  women  who  were  strug 
gling  to  gain  a  foothold  in  their  profession  ;  and  no 
matter  how  clever,  without  money,  they  knew  they 
would  have  to  wait  until  some  brother  or  sister  made  a 
vacancy  by  death  ;  and  it  was  a  relief  to  them  to  give 
up  the  nervous  tension  of  their  lives,  that  a  constant 
worry  about  money  always  causes.  One  great  cross  to 
some  in  accepting  their  duties,  was  the  injunction  that 
they  should  go  out  as  pilgrims  to  seek  knowledge  and 
inspiration  for  the  benefit  of  the  home ;  it  is  so  natural 
for  some  people  to  become  rutted  in  one  location.  In 
a  letter  that  Lady  Harcourt  had  written  to  Dr.  Belmont, 
to  be  opened  after  the  home  was  in  full  progress,  she 
explained  in  a  pointed  manner  the  benefit  of  travel,  and 
the  great  necessity  of  coming  in  contact  with  the  outside 
world,  in  order  to  grow,  and  improve  oneself,  or  to  ben 
efit  any  institution. 

Dr.  Belmont  made  all  arrangements  for  the  poorer 
classes  to  visit  the  grounds  and  home,  and  prepared  for 
them  the  best  of  dinners  and  amusements. 

The  brightest  and  most  versatile  lady  of  all  the  staff 
was  of  French  extraction,  but  English  education,  and 
who  crossed  the  water  to  take  charge  of  the  musical 
department.  She  first  attracted  Ned  Bruce's  attention 
by  overhearing  a  conversation  between  her  and  a 
co-worker  in  which  they  were  discussing  the  idea  of 
studying  the  varying  moods  of  men  and  women  in  the 


MOONLIGHT.  259 

marriage  relation.  The  conversation  was  carried  on  with 
more  abandon  than  was  customary  in  the  halls  of  the 
home.  "  Why,"  said  the  vivacious  little  French  lady, 
44  a  good  husband  or  wife  is  worth  studying  their  moods 
in  order  to  hold  their  affections;  it  is  never  a  stupid  man 
or  woman  who  is  variable.  There  is  Lawyer  Bruce,  for 
instance;  he  needs  variety  and  change  as  much  as  light 
and  air,  and  I  should  judge,  at  heart  he  was  true  and 
Joyal  ;  and  !l  know  that  if  a  woman  would  study  him  a 
little,  he  would  make  a  wife  perfectly  happy." 

"  There  you  are  mistaken,  my  dear,"  said  the  other, 
•"he  would  want  his  way  about  everything;  and  I  should 
be  as  afraid  of  marrying  a  crusty  old  bachelor  as  I 
would  of  sailing  to  Europe  in  a  birch-bark  canoe." 

Ned  pondered  over  this  conversation,  that  was  not 
intended  for  his  ears,  and  wondered  where  and  when 
mademoiselle  had  studied  him  so  thoroughly.  He  con 
cluded  to  know  more  of  this  little  woman,  who  had  all 
along  displayed  a  great  amount  of  sense  and  tact.  So 
from  a  study  of  each  other's  characters,  a  warmer 
attachment  sprang  up  between  them,  which  resulted  in 
the  marriage  of  the  two.  They  were  warm-hearted  and 
-earnest  and  independent  thinkers.  Such  a  wedding  as 
the  home  gave  them,  and  such  dire  prophecies  from  the 
world  without,  but  like  the  opinion  of  nine  out  of  ten  of 
the  marriages,  the  world  was  wrong.  "  Oh,  dear,"  says 
Dame  Grundy,  "those  two  people  are  too  smart  to  live 
together  long  very  happily." 

It  is  conceded  by  the  majority,  that  in  case  of  mar 
riage,  one,  at  least,  should  be  a  fool,  in  order  preserve 
the  harmony  that  is  required.  If  there  is  an  institution  in 


26o  MOONLIGHT. 

the  world  that  requires  brains,  it  is  marriage  ;  and  the 
want  of  brains  is  what  is  filling  our  divorce  courts  at  the 
present  day.  It  is  like  the  large,  noble  ox  yoked  to  the 
small,  stupid  one  ;  it  requires  but  a  glance  to  see  which 
has  the  work  to  do  ;  but  if  the  smaller  one  was  mated 
with  its  kind,  the  pull  on  the  road  of  life  would,  at  least, 
be  more  equal. 

The  bride  and  groom  crossed  the  ocean,  as  both  had 
relatives  in  the  old  country.  It  was  with  genuine 
pleasure  that  Sir  Edward  grasped  Ned's  hand,  say 
ing : 

"  Well,  my  boy,  you  have  done  the  right  thing  this 
time,  in  not  only  choosing  a  bright  wife,  but  making  up 
your  mind,  I  hope,  not  to  let  the  name  of  Bruce  rub 
itself  out  in  a  race  of  bachelors  who  dry  up  between 
the  leaves  of  some  rusty  old  law  book." 

Ned's  first  inquiry  was  of  Lord  Harcourt. 

"Well,  you  see,"  said  his  uncle,  "we  don't  stand 
still ;  we  either  go  up  or  down  the  hill  of  life,  and  in 
his  case  it  was  decidedly  going  down,  and  more  rapidly 
than  you  would  at  first  imagine,  considering  he  was  reared 
as  a  gentleman.  His  wife  was  coarser,  and  more  per 
sistent  in  a  life  of  pleasure  than  he  ever  thought  of  being  ; 
they  quarrelled  openly,  and  after  he  had  run  through  his 
fortune,  she  refused  to  live  with  him,  as  she  was  selfish 
to  the  heart's  core.  The  former  Lady  Harcourt,  before 
her  death,  knew  that  Harcourt  Hall  was  heavily 
mortgaged,  and  with  her  wonderful  prescience,  secured 
it  and  fitted  it  up  for  this  very  emergency.  When  he 
came  to  see  me  with  his  financial  troubles,  I  told  him  of 
this  property,  and  at  first  he  seemed  to  have  a  repugnance 


MOONLIGHT.  261 

of  going  near  it ;  but  when  he  did  and  saw  how 
bountifully  she  had  fitted  it  up  for  his  comfort,  I  truly 
pitied  him." 

"  I  should  like  to  see  the  place,"  said  Ned,  "but  I 
have  no  desire  to  meet  him.  Of  course,  Lady  Harcourt 
furnished  it  in  her  own  exquisite  taste,"  and  he  recalled 
to  himself  the  beauty  of  the  studio. 

"What?"  said  his  uncle,  turning  quickly.  "I  see 
that  you  were  not  very  well  acquainted  with  Lady  Har 
court;  she  did  not  furnish  it  to  please  her  fancy,  but  to 
meet  his  wants — that  was  Lady  Harcourt  !  Why,  finer 
stables,  kennels,  billiard-rooms,  and  preserves  stocked 
with  game  cannot  be  found  in  all  England.  You  would 
never  see  a  place  better  adapted  for  a  retired  sporting 
man's  life  than  this." 

"Well,  how  did  he  receive  all  this  kindness?" 

"  He  was  completely  broken  up  over  it ;  cried  like  a 
child,  and  said  to  me  :  '  I  tell  you,  Sir  Edward,  my  first 
wife  came  as  near  perfection  as  possible  in  this  world  ; 
she  always  considered  others  outside  of  herself;  she 
thought,  doubtless,  I  would  never  change  in  my  tastes. 
I  might  not  had  she  lived,  so  contrary  is  human  nature ; 
but  I  have  had  a  big  dose  of  vulgarity,  and  it  has  com 
pletely  sickened  me.'  I  tried  to  console  him,  telling 
him  his  friends  would  enjoy  the  place  if  he  did  not. 
'  Friends,'  said  he,  '  where  are  the  friends  of  a  sporting 
man's  or  woman's  life,  when  they  are  down  in  their 
luck  ?  You  can  hold  last  year's  snow,  the  froth  of  the 
wine,  the  blush  of  the  rose  in  your  hand  as  easily ! 
Bah  !  I  know  the  world,  and  it  knows  me.  I  have 
nothing  to  offer  it,  and  it  has  nothing  for  me,  but  a  slur 


262  MOONLIGHT. 

under  its  breath  !  If  I  could  die  without  the  world 
knowing  it  got  the  best  of  me,  I  would  die  happy ;  but 
I  am  one  of  those  unfortunate  devils  who  must  live  on 
and  suffer.' ' 

"  Well,  uncle,  you  and  I  cannot  say  but  we  have  seen 
the  great  law  of  retribution  work  out  its  penalty  once  in 
this  life ;  so  many  slide  along  who  have  given  others 
pain  and  sorrow,  seemingly  iron-clad  themselves,  that 
this  story  of  Lord  Harcourt's  life  is  as  refreshing  to  the 
soul  as  a  glass  of  spring  water  to  the  thirsty  traveler  in 
the  great  desert." 

"  Let  us  hope,"  said  Sir  Edward,  "that  he  may  arise 
from  this  fiery  furnace  of  affliction,  a  redeemed  and 
nobler  man  ;  he  must  have  had  some  good  qualities,  or 
he  never  could  have  been  attracted  to  so  lovely  a  life  as 
Lady  Harcourt  was." 


*  * 
* 


As  the  Educational  Home  grew  in  popularity,  the 
duties  became  more  and  more  heavy  upon  Dr.  Belmont. 
He  had  consented  to  lecture  monthly  to  the  staff,  and 
to  those  whom  they  might  invite  to  occupy  the  vacant 
seats  in  the  main  hall. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bruce  still  continued  the  most  happy 
couple  in  all  Redcliff,  much  to  the  chagrin  of  those  who 
had  predicted  otherwise  for  them.  One  lady  once 
remarked  to  Mrs.  Bruce  :  "  Why,  you  can  twist  your 
husband  around  your  finger  ;  and  who  would  ever  have 
believed  it?  " 

"  Oh,  don't  say  that,"  said  the  little  lady;  "he  is 
chained  as  much  as  any  husband  ;  but  I  cover  the  chains 
so  thick  with  roses  that  he  never  sees  or  hears  them." 


MOONLIGHT.  263 

"  Too  much  work,  my  dear  friend,"  remarked  the 
other  ;  "  life  is  too  short." 

"What,  for  keeping  the  love  of  the  best  man  in  the 
world  ?  I  guess  not ;  what  is  worth  having  is  worth 
holding,  and  that  is  the  mistake  of  half  the  married  lives, 
making  no  effort." 

There  was  little  excitement  in  the  lives  of  those  who 
were  connected  with  the  home,  so  well-regulated  was  the 
institution  ;  and  had  it  not  been  for  the  foresight  of  Lady 
Harcourt,  requiring  they  should  go  out  as  pilgrims  into 
the  world,  their  lives  would  have  become  quite  monot 
onous  ;  so  it  was  a  great  event — the  birth  of  a  daughter 
to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bruce.  Of  course,  she  was  a  wonder 
ful  child  ;  such  conditions  of  nature  produce  good 
results.  It  was  the  decided  opinion  of  all,  that  when 
she  was  six  months  old  she  should  have  an  appropriate 
name,  and  it  should  be  the  loveliest  christening  possible; 
so  with  its  couch  of  roses,  hung  over  with  festoons  of 
vines,  and  the  fountain  wreathed  in  flowers,  the  scene 
looked  like  fairyland.  When  the  name  was  to  be  given 
by  the  father,  all  waited  in  great  expectation.  Ned 
Bruce  had  truly  never  thought  of  a  name — the  child 
was  all  right,  the  mother  was  all  right,  and  a  name  was 
of  small  consequence.  Still  they  waited,  and  Mrs.  Bruce 
looked  at  her  husband  in  despair,  when  Dr.  Belmont 
drew  nearer,  and  his  deep  blue  eyes  flashed  into  'Ned's 
grey  ones  a  communication  that  made  Ned's  hair  stand 
up  more  prominent  than  usual.  His  voice  rolled  out  in 
melodious  bass,  "  the  name  of  this  child  shall  be  Esteria 
Belmont  Bruce." 

"  Bress  de  Lord ;  dat  am  a  name  wuth  havin,' " 
exclaimed  Donna. 


264  MOONLIGHT. 

No  baby  ever  received  more  gifts,  and  no  one  seemed 
more  happy  than  the  doctor  himself. 

"  That  was  a  good  dispatch  you  sent  me,"  said  Ned 
to  him  afterward.  "  I  was  about  to  turn  the  case  over 
to  the  Judge,  when  you  wired  me  silently  the  right 
idea." 

As  little  Esteria  grew  older,  no  one  was  more  fond  of 
her  than  the  doctor  and  Donna  ;  the  latter  was  quite 
indignant  when  more  little  Bruces  appeared  upon  the 
scene,  and  one  day  said  to  Miss  Bruce:  "  Ef  dat  Mrs. 
Bruce  hab  fohty  er  fifty  mo'h  chiPun,  she  won't  hab 
anodder  like  little  Esteria." 

"  Oh,  she  will  never  have  that  number,"  said  Miss 
Bruce,  who  was  always  anxious  to  check  Donna's 
extravagance  of  speech. 

"  It  won't  be  her  fault;  it's  'cause  she  lacks  de  time," 
answered  Donna,  bound  to  have  the  last  word. 

One  day  when  Donna  was  sitting  with  little  Esteria, 
telling  her  of  sunny  Italy,  and  weaving  wreaths  of 
flowers,  who  should  appear  but  Master  Robbie  Bruce 
with  his  smaller  sister,  and  completely  covered  with 
mud  and  dirt,  and,  boylike,  threw  a  handful  of  it  on 
Donna's  clean  white  apron. 

"You  go  'way,  you  imps  o'  Satan,  'fore  I  breaks  yo' 
neck." 

Little  Esteria  looked  on  and  naively  said  :  "Where 
did  they  come  from — I  mean  who  made  them  ?  " 

"Why,  de  black  debbil,  hisse'f,  I  do  b'lieve," 
answered  Donna. 

"Are  they  not  my  brother  and  sister;  did  he  make 
me?" 


MOONLIGHT.  265 

"  No,  he  nebber  made  you,  honey  !  De  angels  made 
you  !  Dem  two  t'ings  am  no  mo'  related  to  you  dan 
dem  frogs  what  we  see  t'other  night ;  dey  crawled  into 
dis  worl'  somehow,  an'  I  wish  they  would  crawl  back 
agin,  fer  dey  will  do  no  good  anyway."  At  this  moment 
Master  Rob  concluded  to  try  his  muscle  by  knocking 
his  smaller  sister  over. 

"Dar  !  jes'  see  him  act  up  !  I  tell  you,  he  am  bad 
clean  fru,"  and  Donna  marched  off  with  little  Esteria  in 
disgust.  The  thoughtful  little  maiden  could  not  quite 
understand  why  her  brother  and  sister  were  made  so 
unlike  her,  and  concluded  she  would  ask  the  good 
doctor,  whom  she  loved  devotedly,  and  he  worshipped 
her — why  the  angels  did  not  keep  on  making  good 
children,  and  let  the  old  black  Satan  rest  awhile  from 
making  imps,  who  preferred  mud  instead  of  roses.  This 
is  a  question  which  has  puzzled  wiser  heads  than  your 
own,  little  Esteria. 


*  * 
* 


The  Educational  Home  could  not  help  but  be 
popular;  theologians  had  put  on  their  strongest  glasses, 
and  visited  it  repeatedly,  but  they  could  not  discover 
any  heresy  taught,  or  social  system  advanced  ;  its  staff 
of  attendants  embraced  all  religions  from  the  most  con 
servative  to  the  most  radical ;  but  it  was  noticed  that 
after  years  of  companionship  with  a  mind  like  that  of 
Dr.  Belmont,  the  conservative  grew  more  liberal  in  their 
ideas  of  religious  life,  proving  that  the  soul,  in  order  to 
grow,  needs  the  best  soil,  like  fruit  and  flowers. 

Fifteen  years  had  passed  and  gone  in  the  history  of 
the  home.  One  evening  Ned,  who  was  enjoying  a 


266  MOONLIGHT. 

smoke  in  the  studio  with  the  doctor,  broached  the  con 
tinuance  of  the  institution  after  the  twenty-four  years 
had  expired,  bringing  up  as  argument  the  influence  it 
exerted  for  good  in  the  State  and  country. 

Dr.  Belmont  looked  thoughtful  for  some  time,  and 
then,  as  if  from  inspiration  from  the  lovely  originator  of 
the  whole  plan,  said:  "Ned,  I  would  not  change  the 
plan.  I  know  you  are  comparatively  a  young  man,  and 
have  found  your  greatest  happiness  within  its  walls  ; 
but  let  the  genius  of  the  woman  who  created  its  thought, 
support  it  to  its  end.  With  your  fast  growing  family, 
and  the  amount  of  wealth  you  have  inherited  in  Eng 
land,  your  own  wealth  and  mine  (which  I  shall  leave  to 
Esteria,  in  your  care),  your  duties  in  seeing  to  the  edu 
cation  of  your  children,  and  what  you  will  always  do 
for  humanity,  will  be  sufficient  labor  for  one  man's  life. 
Let  it  be  sold,  and  those  who  have  labored  so  faithfully 
in  it  have  the  benefit  of  it,  as  Lady  Harcourt  desired. 
Virtue  too  often  goes  unrewarded ;  and  you  know,  in 
time,  the  sum  set  aside  for  the 'salaries  will  be  exhausted, 
and  you  would  not  only  have  to  use  your  own  fortune, 
but  resort  to  the  contemptible  system  of  begging  from 
men  who  are  selfish  in  their  exactions  of  what  shall  be 
done  with  their  money,  as  much  as  they  were  in  accu 
mulating  it.  You  tbest  follow  out  the  nine  remaining 
years  faithfully,  and  let  the  good  work  die  a  healthy, 
natural  death,  for  others  to  follow  its  example  if  they 
have  the  magnanimity  to  do  so." 

All  noticed  how  delicate  Dr.  Belmont's  health  was 
becoming.  He  had  won  the  name  of  "  the  good  doc 
tor,"  and  as  he  failed  in  health.it  seemed  that  the  world 


MOONLIGHT.  267 

was  more  than  anxious  to  have  all  his  time  and  energy; 
no  matter  what  he  did,  or  upon  what  subject  he  spoke, 
his  hearers  were  as  sure  of  the  inspiration  back  of  his 
words  as  they  were  that  the  sun  arose  in  the  heavens. 
There  is  no  mistaking  divine  inspiration ;  all  other  arts 
may  have  their  imitators,  but  the  crowning  art  of  all — 
the  divine  spark  struck  from  the  fire  of  the  soul,  can 
never  be  imitated. 

One  evening,  after  a  long  discourse,  Dr.  Belmont 
spoke  to  Ned,  and  said  :  "  I  want  to  go  to  my  studio." 

This  seemed  strange  to  Ned,  as  it  was  the  doctor's 
habit  to  always  go  there  after  a  visit  to  the  home,  but 
one  glance  at  his  face  convinced  all  who  saw  it,  that  the 
shadow  of  death  was  there  ;  what  he  wished  to  say 
was  :  "  I  want  to  be  carried  there,"  but  his  spirit,  so 
much  stronger  than  his  body,  would  not  permit  him  to 
express  it  in  this  manner. 

Silently  and  slowly  the  noble  staff  of  workers  followed 
this  good  man's  last  journey  through  the  leafy  forest 
into  the  beautiful  room  he  loved  so  dearly,  intuitively 
knowing  it  was  the  last  time  they  would  see  him  there 
alive.  Donna  had  lighted  the  censer  and  the  room  was 
filled  with  its  delicate  perfume.  As  they  entered  the 
room  the  sweet  music  of  Beethoven's  Moonlight  Sonata 
filled  the  air  with  melody,  and  the  face  of  the  dying 
man  lighted  up  with  a  halo  of  glory. 

Donna  had  said  to  Miss  Bruce  many  times  during  the 
week  :  "  De  good  doctor  hab  got  to  go,  for  I  dreamed 
dat  Moonlight  said  '  hab  eberyt'ing  ready,  Donna/  an' 
while  I  kin  stay  wid  you  I  shall  lose  de  one  fren*  dat  she 
loved  so  well." 


268  MOONLIGHT. 

As  they  placed  him  on  a  couch  and  gave  him  a 
draught  of  wine,  his  voice  rang  out  clear  as  a  bell :  "My 
dear  friends,  you  have  labored  with  me  unceasingly  in 
the  good  work.  You  have  asked  me  many  times  what 
was  the  great  incentive  in  this  life,  preparing  us  for  the 
life  to  come  ?  It  is  the  highest  conviction  of  my  soul 
to-night,  that  it  is  Love — love  for  some  individual  which 
reaches  outward  to  humanity,  and  upward  to  God. 
Ned,  dear  friend,  bend  down  and  raise  me  a  little  ; 
remember,  my  ashes  are  to  mingle  with  hers.  Donna, 
draw  the  drapery  from  the  window  that  I  may  look 
once  more  upon  the  glorious  moon.  Yes,  Ned — she  is 
with  me,  and  I  rejoice  to  go  out  in  its  rays  with  her." 


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